The Popular Nerd
by Half Angel Half Evil
Summary: Annie Catalano has gone from nerd to popular nerd at Princeton University. She saved the world 2 years ago, but since then the Decpeticons have been after her, with no assist from the Autobots. Annie also has to finally choose between Optimus or Mirage
1. Popular

**My lovely readers, like I promised, I made the sequel to Just A Nerd on the beginning of a new month. So read on...a surprise will be waiting for you at the end of this chapter...no cheating!**

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><p>How the hell do I get into situations like this? I curse in my head over and over again as I'm being shot at through a forrest. Okay, maybe I should start over.<p>

Hi, I'm Annie Catalano and I hate my life. I know a lot of twenty year olds stop saying that by now, but I don't think that applies to me. Not when I've encountered with aliens. Or attacked by them. Or befriended them. Or kissed them. Or- well you get the point.

However, said aliens have gone incognito for the past two years. No contact at all. None of my military friends, not to mention one of them is my cousin Anthony, have contacted me. I've moved from small Maryland to, even smaller state, New Jersey. For the past two years I've been attending Princeton University with my cousin, Justin Catalano. We both got pretty good scholarships to get all the way here.

My mind is of a genius. It's always been since the day I was born. I've been the school nerd in grade school and high school. When I moved out of Treetop Valley, I expected for the reputation to follow me. However, when I made it to Princeton, I came to be the popular one. At Princeton, you need a brain to be popular. If not...well...you won't last a week.

I've gone from Nerdy Damsel, to Cool Girl. Ironic, huh? I've made a lot of friends here, they're really nice. The curriculum here is kinda difficult, but nothing I can't handle. I might be popular, but I'm still a true nerd at heart. I've even joined the Track & Field team.

I keep telling myself that their disappearance probably has a reason behind it. They've probably been busy taking care of Decepticons or trying to find Megatron. However, with situations, I'm starting to think that they probably didn't do a very good job on it.

"Lord Megatron will be pleased to have you again in his clutches, my dear," Starscream sneered at me. The large Decepticon currently ran after me through the forrest. I groaned and kept on going. I'm not becoming Decepticon meat _ever _again. Another blast hit the ground not far from me, but I kept speeding up my pace. I'm a pretty good runner, so I can go pretty far. However, I'm still only human. I'm only made to go for a certain amount of time...and I think I'm starting to run out of time. Ha. Get it run? Yeah, not that funny.

"You cannot escape from me this time!" Starscream said, for maybe the eighth time now. I have to keep going. I will not be captured again.

I misplace my footing and I go tumbling down. I tried to get up again, but my foot's caught on a root sticking out of the ground. I hear Starscream coming up to me.

"Ah, how convenient," he says, tauntingly. He's right behind me, standing over me. I reach around frantically, until I find a stick long enough. "It's useless child. No weapon can save you now."

I release my foot from the root and lunge the stick deeply into his right optic. Starscream screams out in pain and falls back. I get up and start running again. I hear Starscream shout at me. "This is not the end girl! Lord Megatron will have you again, one way or another!" I hear whirrs of mechanical gears and a jet taking off, but I keep running.

I am not taking chances.

I run and run, until my legs give out and I'm falling to the ground. While trying to catch my breath, I hear someone call my name. I get on one knee and spit on the ground. A figure emerges from the trees.

"Todd," I say hoarsely. "What are you doing here?" Todd comes up and helps me on my feet.

"You were gone for a long time. I thought you said you were going for a morning run," he says.

"I am," I say. "Why? What time is it?"

"We're missing class." My eyes widen. Damn it Starscream! "Everyone's looking for you. What happened?" This is where natural lying comes in handy.

"I guess hit my head on a low branch again," I say sheepishly. It's not the first time the Decepticons tried to take me away. This has been going on five months after I came to Princeton. They've been attacking me whenever I've been alone. Todd holds me in his arms.

"You gotta be more careful Ann," he says softly. I smile and nod my head. He kisses me on the forehead.

Oh yeah, did I also mention that I got a boyfriend?

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><p><strong>Shocker! Annie gots a boyfriend! How does this effect anything? Probably won't...or will it? You'll have to keep reading to find out!<strong>

**So tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Review it!**

**~HAHE~**


	2. Soldiers

Todd and I walk back to school hand-in-hand. I get a strict warning from my teacher Mrs. Burns, about skipping class. Luckily, she's the easy going one. I go back to my room for a quick change.

Now, I know what you all are probably wondering "How did loser Annie get a boyfriend?" Well, it's not that hard. We met on the first day, his blond shaggy hair and green eyes catching my attention. We had most of the same classes together our first year. Became good friends, and eventually he asked me out. Simple.

However, sometimes my mind wanders to Optimus or Mirage when I look at Todd. Optimus Prime, fearless leader of the Autobots. The one who confessed had a affectionate attachment to me. Strong, bold, _sexy_. Mirage, sly spy for the Autobots. The one who's my guardian and hasn't been doing a good job at it lately. Cool, stealthy, _hot_. And I kissed them both (don't ask how).

Sometimes I do feel like I've betrayed them by going out with Todd. It's like I'm almost..._cheating_. But neither one established a couple relationship status with me before I left N.E.S.T Base (their refuge home). In fact, before I left I had a tough decision to choose between them; and I left them hanging. There it is again. The pang of guilt settling in. I run a hand through my hair.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Todd asks. We are currently walking the grounds in our free time. We'd both be going back home for Spring Break in a few days. Todd's going back to Philadelphia with his family.

"Nothing," I lie.

"Annie," he warns. Todd faces me and gently lifts my chin up to meet his emerald orbs. "You can tell me anything?" _No I can't_. But if I said that, I would need to have an explanation. And that explanation is an explanation I don't want to explain. I smile and gently give him a quick kiss.

"I promise you, nothing's wrong," I say. He smiles back and pulls me in for a long kiss. A cough interrupts us. Busted. That's when I see my friend Kelly. Kelly's the tough girl, who thinks she's super awesome. Which she is, especially at sports. She has short choppy black hair and strange coco brown eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt, but someone needs to see you Annie," she says. I blush and pull myself out of his strong arms.

"I'll talk to you later," I say to Todd, and then leave with Kelly.

"So?" she says, cheekily when we're out of hearing distance.

"So...what?" I say.

"Things are getting pretty serious between you and Todd," she says. Oh no, here we go again. Kelly always thinks that Todd is _the one _for me. Hopeless romantic is also another one of her traits.

"It's nothing Kelly," I say. I always say that when she brings it up.

"It's not just nothing." We make a turn. "You two have been going out for two years! I'm telling you." Here it comes. "He's the one!" Told you.

"I don't think I'm ready for that yet Kelly. Maybe in the future, but I don't wanna think about that now." It's more like I have more important things to do. Like not get killed.

"I'm just saying, is that you should think about it," she smiles. I smile back. Our happiness immediately fades when we go inside the main building. There are three men in green camouflage military uniforms. The one in the middle has dark brown hair and matching eyes. The one to the left is African American, looks to be second in command. And finally the one to the right is the youngest, with brown hair and familiar blue eyes.

My face breaks out into a smile. I rush up to the middle one and hug him full on.

"Lennox. You gotta visit more often dude," I joke. I hear Lennox let out a bellow of a laugh and return my hug. I turn to the African American soldier.

"Hey Little Ann," he said with a bright smile. Only one person in the universe calls me that...

"Epps!" I give him a hug next. I hear a loud cough and turn to the last soldier.

"What? No hug for family?" I go up and hug my cousin for the longest. Yes, I am mad at all three of them for vanishing off the face of the planet for the past years. But right now, I'm just happy they're alive and with me.

"Does Justin know you're here?" I ask. He shakes his head and I look at all three of them in confusion. "So, why are you all here?"

"Can we talk about this in private," Lennox said. That's when I notice Kelly's still here. She's looking at me like I have just grown another head. Which, may I point out, have not.

"I'll see you back at the dorm Kelly," I say. She slowly nods and walks toward the Girl's Dormitory. Without speaking. The four of us walk outside to a more deserted part of the campus.

"We got Decepticon readings all over this place," Lennox says plainly. "Have you encountered any since Los Angeles?"

"Yes," I say. My anger's starting to heat up. "Yes, in fact I have been attacked by Decepticons on more than one occasion! As a matter of fact, this morning I had to get Starscream off my back!" I turn to look at all three of them. "Where were you? The Decepticons have been attacking me ever since I came here and I got no no one helping me." I can feel the tears in the back of my head. But I won't cry, not now. Not when I am utterly furious.

"Sorry Annie," Anthony says. "Everything's been crazy back at base. Optimus and Ratchet only recently finished in building the prototype Enegron detectors; to detect any Decepticons. We tried it out a few days ago, largest reading was around here. That's when I remember Justin telling me you both go here. We came as soon as possible."

"How have the Decepticons been lately on your side?" I inquired.

"Barely ever see one. Ironhide won't tell us any information on their weapons, but we've made decent ones ourselves to hold off Decepticons," Epps says. "Why don't we take this back to base?"

"Good idea," Lennox said. "Move out." We quickly walked to the black parked GMC Topkick on the curb. I'm halfway in the backseat when I hear someone call my name. I turn and I see Justin jogging towards me.

"Annie! Where are you going?" he asks. He looks behind me and I see his eyes widen. "Any? What's going on here!"

"Sorry Little Bro', that's classified intel," Anthony says, reaching over me to close the door. Justin holds it open.

"I'm not going anywhere." I glance over at the soldiers in the van with me. "Annie, what's going on?"

"Sorry Cuz', but I gotta go." I close the door and we drive off. I glance back to see Justin standing there, with a hurt expression on his face. I sigh. Sorry Justin, but you aren't ready for this.

We drive in silence. Something about this vehicle seemed oddly familiar. Why can't I put my finger on it? I scratched my nails on the leather seating and I feel the truck jerk disapprovingly. That's when it hits me. I lean forward and speak to the radio.

"So how long were you gonna keep quiet there, Ironhide," I say with a goofy smile. The radio cracks to life and I hear a loud laughter.

"About time! And here I thought you forgot about me!" he says. "And don't you scratch my seats ever again! This is good material." I roll my eyes.

"Oh shut up you pile of scrap metal," I joke. He laughs. For once, I feel at home. We drive for another few hours. Along the way Ironhide and I keep making joking remarks at each other. I occasionally glance out the windshield to see more road stretched out in front of us. Finally the road changes into a dirt path and trees give away to barren land.

In front of me is a barren landscape. It looks a lot like N.E.S.T with the hangars and forrest in the background. Soldiers prowl the grounds. The sun's starting to set, casting a warm and inviting glow on everything.

"This is our extra base in southern New Jersey," Anthony says. "We're gonna take a cargo plane back to N.E.S.T." I nod.

The four of us pile into a large plane. Ironhide rolled into the back with us. We take off. Lennox, Anthony, and Epps talk quietly with themselves. I carefully sneak up to Ironhide and open the door. I climb into the driver's seat.

"So how have the years been for you Hide?" I ask casually.

"Pretty lame. It's been really boring without you around, Annie," Ironhide says. I smile.

"How's everyone been?"

"After you left, N.E.S.T got a new director. Forgot his name, think it's Gala-something. He's a real pain in the aft." I chuckle. "Prime and Mirage really miss you." I inwardly smile at that.

"Why didn't you guys ever visit?" The question has been bugging me for a long time.

"We've been trying to blend and interact with humans more, so maybe one day Autobots and humans can live in peace. Prime's also really stressed. He's going crazy trying to find Megatron." I nod in understanding. "What about you? Anything big happen to you?"

I bite my lip.

"Just school. Made some friends. Same old same old," I say nonchalantly.

"You sure? My sensors indicate that you are hiding something," he says. I blush. "You do not have to speak of it if you are uncomfortable with the subject."

"You can't tell anyone," I say. "Promise?"

"I give you my word that I will not repeat whatever you may say to me." I nod and tell him about Todd. Who he is, how we met, how our feelings develop, etc. At the end I add one more thing.

"The feelings for him do not feel real though. I feel only a source of friendship," I conclude. I hear Ironhide's hums through the radio.

"I see." A gust of air came out of the air vents like a sigh. "Well, first off I suggest you not to tell Optimus or Mirage this information. They'd go berserk." I nodded hastily. "Second, if you want me to get rid of the third guy for you, I can do that." I giggle.

"Thanks Ironhide."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Just don't mention this conversation to anyone else. Or else, you know what." I smile.

"Whatever you say you pile of scrap metal," I joke. I accidentally let out a yawn.

"Get some sleep Ann." I don't protest. I climb in the backseat and curl up in comfy a ball formation.

"Get some sleep too, Hide," I yawn before blacking out.

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><p><strong>Will Hide keep this little secret? Or will he tell?<strong>

**Do you guys mind if I answer your reviews or not? It's fun to do for me, but I wanna know what you guys think.**

**I'll be updating every Sunday since it's usually when I'm free. If I don't then it will most likely be either the Monday after or the Saturday before.**

**R&R :]**


	3. Galloway

I woke up on a hard, very uncomfortable, metal plate. I yawned and uncurled my body, which is a stupid move on my part. I felt myself start to fall, when I gruffly landed on another metal plate. I sat up grudgingly as I felt the metal platform I'm sitting on, move upward.

"Ann you gotta be more careful. Or else maybe one day you'll go splat." Ironhide's bright optics blinded me and I had to shield my eyes.

"Go away Ironhide," I muttered. I felt the light retreat greatly and slowly peak my eyes open. I look at my surroundings. I'm inside one of the hangars, sitting on Ironhide's hand, with Lennox, Epps, Anthony, a few Autobots, and other soldiers around. Immediately I feel my face turn red.

"Morning sleeping beauty," Lennox joked. I smile.

"How long have I been up here?" I ask, rubbing one of my eyes.

"Few minutes," Ironhide says. "You can really sleep, you know that?" I roll my eyes. Ironhide gently placed me on the end of the catwalk next to Anthony. I take in everyone around me. I notice a few soldiers from when I was last year, but I also see a lot of new recruits. The only other Autobots around were Ironhide and Bumblebee.

Ironhide sets me down on the catwalk next to Anthony.

"The debriefing's gonna start in a few when the rest of the Autobots get here," Epps says. I nod. Bumblebee comes to the platform.

"How's it going little miss?" I giggle.

"Pretty darn well Bumblebee. I see Ratchet finally got your voice processor fixed," I point out.

"He's got it working alright, but I can't use it much," Bumblebee says and shrugs. Ratchet and Que stroll into the hangar together, discussing about Energon detectors. Que is the first to take notice of my presence.

"Lovely to have you back, Annie!" he bellowed in a joyous British accent.

"It feels good to be back Que," I say honestly. I turn to Ratchet. "Holding the fort pretty well with scrap metal here?" I ask, jabbing a thumb toward Ironhide's direction, who isn't paying attention.

"Hardly," Ratchet jokes. "Remember my offer, if you wish to learn about medics, the offer is always available." I nod. Next to arrive is Sideswipe.

"Annie, don't think I forgot about that offer! Better save me a race later!" he says, walking up to the railing which I am leaning on.

"You are on Old Man!" I challenge. "Get ready to eat my dust!" He laughs loudly.

"We'll see about that," he says in a cocky tone. I start to laugh in hysterics before I hear loud crashes of metal outside.

"Is she here! Is she here!" Mudflap slides right in, followed by Skids. "There she is!" They both rush at a fast pace to where I stand. Sideswipe gets out the way and I take a few steps back. Both ended up crashing into each other when they got in front of the railing. I hurry toward the railing and look down. The twins are tangled in each other's parts and metals. I laughed a little.

"Hey guys," I call.

"Hey Annie," they say tiredly. I roll my eyes. I hear large stamps of feet and look up to see my next visitor. When I see red metal, my eyes spark up. He smoothly walks over and around humans and other obstacles without missing a beat.

"Mirage!" I say loudly. He locates me and starts to walk over.

"Annie, my apologies for not ever being by you. How have the last years been for you?" I smile at the Italian accent I enjoy very much.

"Very well. We have a lot to talk about," I say. He nods. More footsteps are coming in and there's one last Autobot I haven't seen yet. Optimus.

He has a strong stride like the leader he is while walking to the middle.

"Hey Prime," I say.

"Annie. We must do formal greetings another time. This debriefing is very vital. Please understand my apologies." I nod. Still a leader as always.

"They all sure do miss you Ann," Lennox said, chuckling.

"I've missed them all too," I say, gazing at all the alien beings in front of me. "So how those Energon detectors do on their test run?"

"Better than we hoped for actually," he admits. "We actually didn't think we'd get a signal. Good thing we did though, you would've been a goner within a few weeks." How reassuring.

I hear more large footsteps come into the hangar. Huh? I counted all the Autobots in the room. All here and accounted for. Then who...?

Four new beings stepped inside. Three very slender ones stand out. Their all around the same height, one as tall as Bumblebee, another maybe a foot shorter, and the last one a foot shorter than the last. The tallest I recognized as Elita-1, Optimus' once lover-friend. I gulp. The second tallest is blue and the shortest is bright pink. I guess the other two are her sisters. They look at me with curiosity. The fourth one is a buff bright blue mech. He's about 20ft tall and looks really bored.

I lick my lips. I wonder if this will make any difference with my relationship with the Autobots.

"That's the Arcee Sisters," Epps points out for me. "Shortest is Arcee, the youngest. The blue one is Chromia, the second oldest. Finally, the tallest is Elita-1, the oldest."

"I heard Chromia and Hide got something going on," Anthony said chuckling. I look over at Ironhide. He's standing a bit straighter, and sneaking quick glances at Chromia while trying to listen to Ratchet. I chuckle.

"Didn't know scrap metal still had it in him," I joke.

"Yeah, nothing official yet," Anthony says. "I hear there might be something between Prime and Elita." I quietly gulp. I don't flinch. Or wince. Or even blink. I keep a straight face.

"The other newbie is Jolt. They all came on the same ship, the Xantium, last year," Epps says.

"Let's start the debriefing," Lennox announces. All the Autobots awkwardly gather around the end of the catwalk. The soldiers gathered around the catwalk and down below. "First off let's introduce you all who don't know Annie Catalano, the girl who saved all our butts two years ago." Lennox motioned for me to step up. I slowly did and shyly waved.

I can see a lot of soldiers are surprised. These soldiers include the Arcee Sisters and Jolt.

"Her?" Jolt ask, as if it's a joke. "How can someone as small as her be the one that saved your butts?" No one said anything.

"Yes," I stepped closer to Jolt. "Me."

"No offense kid, but I highly doubt you can defeat almost an one Decepticon, let alone an entire fleet of them." I raise an eyebrow.

"For your information, I've been fending them off alone for years now," I point out. "and I suggest you do not underestimate me."

"Break it up you two," Anthony says. He tugs at my arm and pulls me back next to him. "We got more important matters at hand."

"Exactly," Lennox said. He turns his gaze to Optimus. "How did the prototype turn out?"

"We already have arrangements for more Energon detectors," Optimus answered. "The test went fairly well, seeing as we discovered Annie to be almost completely surrounded by Decepticons."

"Wait," I cut in. "What do you mean by surrounded?"

"We found more Decepticon camps around your area. Lots of them," Ironhide said. "Hard to believe they didn't all swarm you at once." It sent chills up my spine. I can barely outrun one, let alone a lot!

"Has Starscream ever tried to attack you?" Sideswipe asks. I nod.

"This morning," I said. "I jabbed him in the eye with a stick."

"Tactical," Elita-1 says. I shuffle my feet around a bit.

"What about Megatron? Has he ever tried to attack you?" Ironhide asks. I shake my head.

"I haven't see him since Los Angeles."

"The Decepticons HQ should be close then, right?" Epps asks. Optimus hesitates before answering.

"Not necessarily. Megatron is very unpredictable with his strategies," he says. "But it is wise to check the surrounding perimeter."

The meeting continued on. I make suggestions (most of which are declined) and comments. When the meeting is close to adjourned, one of the doors slide open and in walks an old man. He has brown thinning hair and more wrinkles than I can count. He wears a suit and saunters like he's really important, up to Lennox.

"How dare you start a meeting without me?" I'm right about his age: prehistoric.

"Director Galloway." So this must be the guy Ironhide was talking about. "We had to start the meeting sir. The more time we waste, the more the Decepticons are gaining troops and-" he cuts of Lennox mid-sentence.

"And you still have no authority to authorize a meeting without my knowledge." His head snaps to me. "And what is a civilian doing here?"

"This is Annie Catalano, the girl who saved the world two years ago back in Los Angeles," Epps said.

"I know of her title, soldier," Galloway hisses at Epps. "I would like to know why she is here again."

"Sir, by all respect, Annie has been a major part in the war," Anthony defends. "And has had more contact with N.B.E."

"I don't care who she is or what she's done. The first thing she is, is a civilian. Last time I checked, civilians aren't allowed in top secret military bases." I clench my fist and hold in my anger. "As Director of N.E.S.T, I ask for her presence to be removed immediately."

"Director Galloway," I speak up. "I know more information of the Decepticons. They want my necklace to get the Allspark." My necklace glows brighter. "They also want me. It would be wise to include me now because I am a key to the Decepticons." Galloway actually looks to be thinking over my suggestion.

"Have her escorted to one of the civilian barracks." And with that I am being shoved off out of the room and into the corridors of N.E.S.T base.

The civilian barracks are nice really. A bed, desk, dresser, bathroom, TV, internet. I can get used to it in here. I wander around the room. The bed is pushed against one corner and fits two-three people. It has thick covers and warm pillows. The desk is pushed into another corner with pens, markers, pencils, and papers inside. It even has a desk lamp and laptop. One wall has a TV and the dresser below it. The dresser is full of army uniforms. The bathroom has a shower and tub, two sinks, and a large mirror. The cabinets are filled with shampoos, band-aids, and other medical supplies. Towels and robes are stored in another closet.

I look at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a gray hoodie with a blue shirt underneath, jeans, and blue converse. My hair is a complete mess and my blue eyes glow brightly. I sigh. I wonder what they're discussing. I run my fingers through my hair, making it soft and oily, and bend over the sink counter.

I can't believe I'm back. I feel like I'm home. Well...kinda. The new Autobots and I seem to have a silent disliking. Jolt and I at least. With my feelings for Optimus, that are still growing, I have competition with Elita-1. Then there's Mirage I have to think about. My guardian, who has done a horrible job at guarding me. Then Optimus, who didn't even bother to save me.

They don't know what it's like. I've been, and do not tell a soul this, terrified. Wouldn't you think it's scary that at any moment you or your friends can be attacked? That you might be tortured or slaved to death by an alien race. Its scary being alone again. Being in this bathroom, I felt the loneliness consume me along with the fear.

I remind myself that I'm in a top secret government base, but who knows? Megatron will do anything to get his claws on me. I can already see him standing triumphantly with my body limp in his grip. I close my eyes tightly, but the image is forever engraved into my mind. I take shallow breaths to calm myself down and I feel something glow brightly. I look down. My necklace.

I gently cup it in both my hands. It feels warm. The stone reflex my feelings, like a mood ring you find in the dollar store. Only a million times more valuable. It's what Megatron wants. It's the key to the Allspark. I'm the key to it. As long as I'm alive, it's power is still in there. Another reason Megatron wants me.

The stone is a part of me. It is me. It's the only reason why the military keeps me around. I groan and rest my elbows on the counter and my head in my hands, messing up my hair again. I can feel a headache coming on.

I heard a curt knock on the door.

"Come in," I aimlessly said. I close my eyes and take deep breaths.

"Annie, are you alright?" my head jerks up at the Italian accent. I whip around and see Mirage at the doorway, with a worry look in his enchanting blue eyes.

"Mirage!" my voice squeaks in surprise. "Y-Yeah. What are you doing here?" He crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe.

"I came to get you. The meeting has adjourned." He walks over to me. I back up until my butt hits the counter. He's a few centimeters away from me. His eyes bore into mine. "Are you sure you are alright?" I put on a fake smile.

"Yeah," I lie. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Fine. Director Galloway is a big pain though," Mirage said, rolling his eyes.

"Why do you guys put up with him?" I ask.

"Well, first he was the National Security Advisor to the president. Then he got demoted, or in his world _promoted_, to Director of N.E.S.T. He funds the money to N.E.S.T and without him, we'd be broke."

"He's still very irritating," I say. Mirage chuckles. Then he looks me dead in the eye. I can see a look of lust and want in them. Then he starts to lean in. He's too close to me for running. I bite my lip and close my eyes. I prepare myself for his lips against mine, but it never comes. I open my eyes to see Mirage's face only centimeters away from mine. The lust and want has disappeared from his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he whispers. His breath tickles my cheeks. I bite my lip.

"Nothing," I sigh.

"Then why won't you kiss me," he whispers gently. "Are you still choosing between me and Optimus?" _and Todd_. I have to tell him. I need to tell him.

But I can't tell him.

"Yes. I still haven't made my decision, yet." He backs away from me and leans next to me on the counter.

"Annie. I don't mean to rush you, but it's been two years. _Due anni_," he says.

"I know," I sigh. "It's just with school and all, everything's been so hectic. I can't really think about things like that." He pauses.

I can't tell him.

"So it's neither of us?"

"I didn't say that," I said quickly. I touched his arm gently. "I just need a little more time, okay?" He nods. I can't help it. I gently press my lips to his and then pull away. After, he leaves. I slide to the ground and bury my head between my knees.

I can't tell him.

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><p><strong>Hey guys. I really wanted to post this chapter earlier because I was having such a bad day today. My week was going all happy and then when today came I felt like dirt by the end of it. This is probably a day that even Megatron might cry about.<strong>

**So in a sad attempt to cheer myself up, I decided to post this chapter earlier and have my reviewers give me positive comments on The Popular Nerd. The reviews I get always make me happier, so why not?**

**I'll also be posting again on Sunday, in case you wanted to know.**

**~HAHE~**


	4. Shanghai

Another knock came and I groan.

"Yo Ann, you alright?" Lennox. I sigh and get up. I walk over to the door and open it to reveal the said soldier.

"Yeah Lennox?"

"Come on, you must be hungry." To be honest, I am. I hurry out of the room and follow Lennox through the winding corridors. We finally made it to the cafeteria and piled trays high with food. We take a seat in the way back. A few soldiers and technicians loitered around, chatting happily.

"So what's the news with Galloway?" I ask, biting into my pizza.

"I don't like that dude," Lennox says with a mouthful of fries. "He really doesn't like the Autobots. Wants them gone from Earth."

"Why? They're the reason we aren't slaves to the Decepticons," I say, taking a sip from my shake.

"That's it. He thinks the Autobots are the reason why the Decepticons are here. Says if the Autobots get out of here, so do the Decepticons." I roll my eyes.

"That's stupid," I say. Lennox chuckles.

"So's Galloway." We both share a bundle of laughters. We mingle for about another ten minutes before a ding went off and everyone went quiet.

_ William Lennox and Annie Catalano, report to Hangar 1_

The announcer cut off. I sigh. We dump our trash and head to Hangar 1 like the person said. When we're inside, I see the Autobots with a fairly large group of soldiers. Epps and Anthony jog up to us.

"What's the matter?" Lennox asks in a serious tone.

"The prototype picked up another Decepticon," Epps says. "And a big one."

"Location." the four of us walk to the big computers that's usually behind us when we're at the end of the catwalk.

"Shanghai, China," one of the computer operators say.

"Live news feed." Someone presses a few buttons and a new window pops up on the screen. At first it's static and then a Asian new reporter is on the screen. Behind her is a horrifying scene. People are running around everywhere, the sky is on fire, buildings collapsing. Complete chaos. She speaks in Chinese, but there are subtitles.

_Reporting from Shanghai this is Yu Wong with breaking news. Shanghai is under attack by, well we don't know what it is. All we know is that it keeps making this strange mechanic sound and destroying all of Shanghai._

The camera cuts to a building collapsing. If you look close enough, you can see something in the shape of a large face and glowing red eyes. Decepticon. The screen goes to static and the window is closed.

"We gotta get to Shanghai," Epps says.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Lennox says, slowly turning away from the computer and to the railing.

"Okay everyone, I'm gonna need all of you to come with me to Shanghai." Suddenly, everyone's rushing around and getting ready. I'm being pushed and shoved until I'm leaning over the railing. Just as the crowd is starting to clear out I hear a voice.

"Take the girl with you!" I look down and see Galloway. And he's pointing to me. "Make her useful." I glare down at him. I see Lennox halfway out of the hangar.

"Director Galloway, she's just a civilian-"

"So now you address her as a civilian," Galloway butts in. "What happened to the girl who defeated almost an entire army of Decepticons?" Lennox is about to retort when I find my voice.

"I'll go." They both look at me, utterly stunned. Galloway is the first to recover and replaces his shock with a smug expression.

"You heard her soldier. Suit her up." Lennox gets some of the soldiers that are still inside the hangar to "suit me up". "And make sure she's on the front line!" I scowl.

They throw a military camouflage suit over my clothes. My converse are replaced with boots and something heavy is shoved into my hands. A gun. I'm pushed onto a plane and thrown into a seat.

I see Anthony and he motions me over. I shakily walk and sit between him and Epps.

"I see they've done a good job on you," Anthony comments.

"What's going on?" Everything's moving so fast, I have no idea what's going on. The plane starts to take off. The gun suddenly feels a lot heavier in my arms.

"Sorry you had to be pulled into this. Galloway really is an ass," Epps says.

"It's okay. I think I'll just stay in the plane," I suggest.

"That's a good idea. Don't want you getting hurt," Anthony says. "How many Autobots came?"

"Ten. Optimus, Ironhide, the twins, Sideswipe, the Arcee Sisters, Mirage, and Jolt," Epps says.

"Great. We'll arrive at Shanghai in a few hours." I close my eyes and try to keep my anxiety in. I feel someone pat me on the back.

"It's okay Ann, you won't go into war," Anthony says reassuringly.

"But Galloway wanted me on the front line."

"And you think he'll know if you are or aren't?" Anthony chuckles. I smile, thankful that I won't have to go to war yet. "Rest up Ann. We'll be back in the States before you know it." I nod. I lay my head back and, uncomfortably, try to get some sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I'm alone on the plane. I grudgingly get up and something loud falls down. The gun I was given. I heft it on my shoulder and walk around the plane. I'm still in the air and a few soldiers are loitering around. None pays attention to me. I walk into another part of the plane to see Optimus in semi form. I jog up to him.

"Optimus, where are Lennox and the others?"

"Annie, you should be in your seat." I roll my eyes. "Please return. It is not safe here."

"Okay Big Man! Ready to go!" a soldier calls. The back door opens up and the Peterbilt starts to roll out. I try to keep my balance, but I lose my footing quickly. The gun just makes me heavier and I fall out of the plane with it.

I let out a scream, but I'm not sure if it came out or not because of the ringing in my ears. The wind forced my eyes shut. I heard a familiar whirring of gears and soon a hand is wrapped around my body.

"Annie," I hear a growl. "I told you to return to your seat." I can tell Optimus is really angry with me by the tone of his voice, even if I can't open my eyes.

"Sorry, but your stuck with me," I say cheekily. Then I remember we are falling. "Optimus? Won't free falling in Shanghai be a bad thing?" Just then parachutes eject from his back and we land softly on the abandoned highway. Optimus transforms back into a semi and I'm thrown into the driver's seat.

"I'll leave you with Lennox and the other soldiers." A large creature came pounding down the highway right below us It has one giant wheel for feet and another above its weird shaped head in between and beams for hands.

Right before it crashes into the highway we're driving on, Optimus throws me out onto the side of the road, and lunges after it. He calls after me, "Wait here!"A big explosion occurs and I'm thrown a few feet back. When I regain my sight, the highway has a big empty space and in the distance, Optimus and the Decepticon were tussling. That thing's probably twenty times as big!

"Let's see," I spoke to myself. "Wait here for help or take matters into my own hands?" Obvious choice. I jump off the end of the demolished road and ran after Optimus and the Decepticon.

Yes, this is really stupid of me. Yes, I can potentially die right now. But guess what. I don't care. I run, jump and dodge obstacles easily. It seems like I'm running forever since they're so far away in such a short time. The cramps start to form around my sides and I can hear my blood pump through my veins. I grip my teeth and push my limits even further. Crossing a few corners, I'm in an alley. Jumping over a fence and onto an old road, I see headlights my way. A silver Sports Car is barreling down the road and straight at me. It's too narrow for me to dodge out in any way. I let my instincts kick in.

I lower myself a little and calculate all the numbers and graph arrangements quickly. I see Arcee launch herself at one wall and start to shoot at the Sports Car. Chromia launches herself at the opposite wall and does the same as Arcee. Above the glare of the headlights, I see Elita-1 shooting from the rear. A well powered team.

None of their shots seemed to do anything except graze the paint job. As it's about five feet away from me, I jump and land on the hood. It's starting to transform and I shoot like a mad-woman at it. That's when I notice in front of me is a dead end. I latch on to a facial plate as it jumps right through the brick walls. An explosion of electric sparks rises around me as I hold on for dear life.

The Decepticon transforms back to a Sports Car and I'm inside. I kick down the wind shield and step out. We turn a sharp corner and I'm holding onto the edges of the window with a tight grip. I can feel some pieces of glass get into my hand and I pick them out quickly. Arcee and her sisters are still following us.

All of a sudden, I see Sideswipe round a corner and come up right behind us. He uses one claw-like hand to pivot himself over the car. He's shooting at it from above when he notices me. I smirk and wave. Sideswipe unlatches one of his claw hands and it hits right in the center of the hood, nearly missing me. Sideswipe is sliding around while shooting at the Decepticon. Then he maneuvers his detached arm to reattach to the severed hand that's lodged into the hood. It attaches and he cuts a straight line right through the middle of the car, just as the Decepticon is transforming.

I jump off the hood and tumble into a electrical pole. The two halves of the Decepticon fly into the fence near me and I stumble onto my feet, running at the speed of light. I'm right by Sideswipe's side when he says, "Damn. I'm good."

"Still ain't fast enough Old Man," I call, picking up speed. He looks down and the ends of his metal lips tweak up to a smirk.

"Says you."

We finally get out of the alley and we go our separate ways. Optimus and the Decepticon are right in front of me now.

Optimus takes out a blaster and starts shooting at it's feet.

"Pull over," he commands. I aim and get a good hit on the Decepticon's left optic. It starts spinning out of control and Optimus slides off before the Decepticon falls over the bridge, and crashes into an empty warehouse. I run inside, ignoring the dust that was picking up. Optimus and Ironhide get there before I do. Optimus is warming up his blaster. The Decepticon is sprawled across the floor in pain. It's left eye sparked where I shot it.

"Punk ass Decepticon," Ironhide mutters. I see he has also learned some new words.

"Any last words?"

"This is not your planet to rule," it croaks out in a raspy metallic voice. "The Fallen shall rise again." By fallen, it didn't sound like a group or the weaker will come out as top. It sounds like The Fallen is a someone.

"That doesn't sound good." I turn and see the other soldiers behind me.

"Not today." Optimus aims and shoots right through the Decepticons helm. The lights dim in it's optics. Lennox emerges from the group of soldiers.

"Let's clean this thing up and get outa here," he says and then locks eyes with me. "And make sure to get her back in the plane."

Suddenly I'm being lifted and dragged away by Epps and another soldier.

"Don't worry Little Ann, we'll be home soon," Epps reassures me. I nod and yawn. I used a lot of energy while bolting to catch up to Optimus and the Decepticon in their struggle.

"Get some sleep," the other soldier said. It's a lady's voice. "We'll be back at base before you know it." I nod and hang my head.

I wake up again to be back in my bunker. I rub my eyes before opening them. I sit up and find Lennox with another man in the room. The man seems old and has brown hair. He has a tall stance with piercing blue eyes. He's wearing a lab coat with matching pants and dress shoes. The lab coat has a small Autobot emblem on the pocket. His hair is neatly combed and is very muscular. A clipboard is tucked underneath his arm.

"I see our patient has woken up." I smile at the voice.

"Holoform Ratchet?" I ask. He nods and examines the information on his clipboard. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep when we were loading you on the plane," Lennox asks. I really have to start to get more energy; bulk up, you know? "You should've seen Mirage's face. He thought you were dead." Lennox chuckles. I give him a look of horror. "I'm not saying it's not a good thing that you aren't dead, but-" I chuckle.

"I get it Lennox," I giggle and then turn to Ratchet's holoform. "So what's the news Doctor?"

"Well, you aren't mentally damaged. However, you have some minor cuts and bruises. You may return to your educational studies soon, I should say," Ratchet said, examining the clipboard.

"Studies? You're sending me back to school?" I ask, bewildered. "What about the Decepticons?"

"We'll keep an eye on them," Lennox reassures. It's not working though. "From out information, they only attack when you're alone. So we suggest always having someone with you."

"What if they attack again?" I can hear the fear in my voice. "What if they get me?"

"We won't let that happen. We already have arrangements made to keep a tight perimeter surrounding Princeton University." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry Annie, you'll be okay."

No. I won't.

In a few hours, I'm put on a private cargo plane with Lennox, Epps, Anthony, and a few others soldiers. Maybe it's better if I try to have a normal life for once. However, I remind myself: I'm Annie Catalano. Normal is a word that will never describe me ever again.

I'm sitting on a bench like the one that takes me to Shanghai. Lennox went to go talk with the pilot and Anthony and Epps went to go converse with other soldiers. The Autobots that came are Mirage, Ironhide, Bumblebee, the twins, the Arcee sisters, and Jolt. I haven't spoken to them so far. They need their rest for protection duty.

"Annie." I turn and see Mirage's holoform. He sits next to me on the bench.

"You should rest up. You'll be on your toes the next few days with the Decepticons," I say. He shakes his head and gently holds my hand. I bite my lip.

"I had to speak with you," Mirage admits. "Prime and I have been conversing, and we both would say it will be better if you pick neither of us." I blink in confusion. "It has been such a bother for you and been anxious for us. We think it is better this way, bello." He gives me a soft kiss on the cheek and moves away from me. Mirage's holoform goes up in a blue light and I'm alone, completely stunned.

Anthony comes back first and plops down next to me. I'm staring off into space. He waves a hand in front of my face.

"Annie? Annie, you okay?" he asks, placing a hand on my shoulder. I don't answer; I don't speak. I feel a sickness in my stomach. The smack of realization came and I know it's all over. My head's spinning and I feel like the floor under me has disappeared. I'm falling into the earth. No one's there to catch me this time. The ground is coming up fast and I close my eyes when impact comes. I keep my eyes closed.

* * *

><p><strong>Like I promised another chapter today.<strong>

**I felt worse today than I did Friday. This has been the worse week I've had in a long time :/**

**If anyone wants to cheer me up, feel free. It improves my writing and you'll have an awesome AU at the end**

**R&R**


	5. Dead

When I awoke again, I'm in the infirmary at Princeton. I sit up on the white bed and I feel a pang in my head. Next to me is my necklace. I am about to put it on, but when I touch it, it projects red symbols. This has been happening a few times now over the course of the last few months. I never pay any mind to them. This necklace is all out of whack.

No one else is in here. I put it on and swing my legs over the side. A man comes in with a clipboard under his arm. I recognize him as my doctor at N.E.S.T a few years ago after Los Angeles. Dr. J looks up a me with a smile.

"Glad to see you're awake Annie."

"Nice to see you again Dr. J. How long have I been out?"

"Few hours, give or take. It's Friday morning. Lennox has advised you to go to all your classes today." I nod. Dr. J does some more diagnostics on me before I leave. I sneak back into my dorm room. It's a good thing I requested one all to myself.

I shower and dress quickly. I wear a green and white plaid shirt to my elbows, black jeans, and black boots. I leave my hair down, no makeup, change contacts, and grab my backpack. I look at myself for a minute in my full body mirror before nodding approvingly.

Just as I'm about to leave, something shiny catches my eye. It's on my dresser and it catches the light from the Sun. The Autobot pin. I hold it in my hand gently, creasing it with my thumb pad. I close my eyes and relive my conversation with Mirage yesterday. I swallow the lump in my throat and a tear rolls down my cheek.

"Goodbye," I whisper and aimlessly throw the thing out the window. I know I'll regret it later, but right now I really don't care. The Autobots didn't want anything to do with me anymore. They just send me back to school like everything's okay. Nothing will ever be okay. The Decepticons will find me, and when they do, I'm not sure what I will do.

I stomp my way through my classes. I avoid Todd, Justin, and all my friends. I'm straight back into being utterly furious. I lean against a tree, closing my eyes and try to calm myself. Throughout the day, everything annoyed or ticked me off. I need time to cool off. hear footsteps come my way and I see Todd and Justin.

"Annie, where've you been all day?" Justin asks, standing next to me.

"Here, there, everywhere," I say mysteriously. Todd chuckles.

"By the way, I think you threw this at me this morning." Todd hands me the Autobot pin. The outline glowed blue, making my eyes sting with tears. "Hey, what's with that sad face?" He gently cups my face in his hands. I see Justin starting to make a gagging face. That's when I hear the whirring. My eyes widen and I push Todd out the way. Where he just stood, is now where Starscream stands.

"Hello again, my dear. I hope I am not interrupting," he hisses. I glance over at Todd, who looks like is having a mental breakdown. Justin looks like he's about to faint.

"Your leader still in hiding I see," I say.

"Afraid not." My eyes snap open at the new voice. I look behind the tree and gulp. Megatron. The red eyes. The cold, blood-thirsty, red eyes that have haunted me night after night. The eyes that spark in victory. The eyes that have been waiting to slowly kill me. "I decided to help my first lieutenant. It appears to be an intelligent tactic I have made."

I stumble to the ground and back up right into Starscream. He grabs me roughly.

"Report back to base," Megatron states. "And take the boys with you too. They might be useful." I see Starscream grab Todd and Justin in his other hand. They both transform into jets and take off. I'm squished between Justin and Todd. I kiss Todd on the cheek and rub Justin's back to calm both of the boys down. It's not working.

When they transform again, we're thrown out of Starscream. Todd and Justin land somewhere on the ground and I end up crashing through a empty crate. Word of advice, never crash into a crate; it hurts like hell. Starscream throws me onto a metal table, where Megatron holds down my wrists and ankles so I can't move.

"Why is it that you are so willing, child?" he inquires. I don't answer. "Quiet aren't you? You won't be so quiet soon though. I will kill you slowly and very painfully for what you have done to my army."

A little spider-like creature pops up. I jump a little.

"Meet, Ze Doctor," Megatron announces. It looked like a spider, but with a jutted out head and made of metal. Its eyes glow molten yellow-orange under circles of glass for glasses. The thing jumps on my stomach and climbs up so that it's right in front of my face. This thing's freaky!

It starts to examine my face. I try to move away from it.

"Get this thing away from me!" I try to shout.

It's talking in a quick, uncomprehending language. The only thing I understood, "Ve must examine ze stone to zee if ve can get any knowledge from 'er." Ze Doctor rips my necklace from my neck and starts to tamper with it. It starts to tap it a few times annoyingly. Ze Doctor jumps off the table and came back with a squid metal thing.

"What are you gonna do with that thing?" I ask cautiously. Ze Doctor comes toward me with the squid thing and I back my head up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No one is putting that thing near me!" The thing just starts making tapping sounds and speaking gibberish before swiping a claw across my face. It stings. The thing crawls into my mouth. I feel like throwing up.

The thing's moving inside me, and the gross part is; I can feel it. I see a tentacle come out of my nose, a few from my mouth, and one out of my ear. It's like this thing is having enjoyment crawling inside of me. I gag and my fingers twitch violently like having a seizure. I think I actually am though. The thing pops out and into Ze Doctors metal pinchers. I gasp and spit to the side a few times. Vile; completely and utterly vile.

He taps at it a little before a projection, of what looks to be, my memories come up.

A lot of them are of my childhood, some are of the Autobots and few from my college years. The main thing that keeps popping up are these signs. It's like the ones my necklace has been projecting lately. The images go blank. The round pieces of glass over Ze Doctor's eyes lift up.

"Ve must have ze brain, to zee more!" Ze Doctor screams.

"W-W-What! What does he mean by brain?" I shout.

"Well the stone reacts to your emotions. Your emotions come from your brain. We need the brain," Megatron says. "Do what you must to get it." My eyes widen as the thing pulls a metal scalpel from it's back and is heading straight for my forehead.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No one is touching my brain! Get away from me!" I scream. The thing barely grazes my skin before Optimus bursts in through the roof. Bumblebee, Mirage, and Jolt come crashing through the wall, shooting aimlessly at Megatron and Starscream. Megatron's so surprised, he didn't notice that his grip on me slips. I grab Ze Doctor by it's body and throw it off to the side. Little booger.

I slide off the table and start to run. Shots are being fired everywhere. Sparks fly up. It's a mad house in here. I'm crouching behind a pile of crates and peak out to see what's going on.

Optimus lunges upward and starts to shoot Megatron above. Megatron crouches down for support firing. When Optimus lands, Starscream is right behind him. Optimus carelessly smacks Starscream in the chest and blasts him a few times. Megatron starts to get up, just as Optimus shoots a larger bullet at him. It hit's Megatron dead on and pushes him through the warehouse wall behind him.

That warehouse wall is also where the crates (and I) are. I duck to keep from getting in the wake of the crash.

Optimus stands in the new hole he just made, jumping down and transforming into a Peterbilt semi. Bumblebee, Jolt, and Mirage are already driving away. I climb into the truck as Megatron transforms into a complicated military tank and drives off.

Optimus is speeding down the road and soon it turns into a dirt path and trees.

"I thought you were still at N.E.S.T," I said panting heavily.

"Energon detectors indicated Megatron was near. I came as soon as I could," Optimus said. His voice sounded gruff and tired. Through the trees behind us, the same military tank appears.

"He's right behind us," I say.

Without warning, Optimus and Megatron simultaneously transform to their true forms. I'm thrown into the ground. A lot of dust rises up and I can just make out Megatron tackling Optimus to the ground.

"Annie, hide!" Optimus shouts. I crouch down behind a tree with a thick enough trunk to hide my body.

The two are rolling down the hill before Optimus gets up and gives Megatron a good uppercut. A large, ear-piercing, ding rings out through the forrest. In turn Megatron tackles them both down another steep hill. I run toward them. I hide behind a tree at the edge of the hill, the tree giving me support from falling.

"Weak," Optimus says. He takes a fallen over tree and crushes it over Megatron. The dirt debris hits me, and I shield away. "Puny." Optimus stabs Megatron in the back. Megatron tries to counter, but Optimus ducks and hits Megatron hard enough to send him falling. "Waste of metal." Megatron flips over and tries to stay on his feet, but Optimus already has his flaming sword ready to hold down one arm and stab in Megatron's back. "Junk heap." Megatron kneels over and Optimus gives him another uppercut. Finally, Optimus throws him to the ground.

"Decepticons!" Megatron calls out. I whip around to see an airship landing and turning into a Decepticon. It knocks over trees as it comes their way. Another ship starts to fire at the ground near me and transforms into another Decepticon. It knocks over a few trees landing, but then rips one out from the ground.

"Come here little girl," the second one slithers at me. I start to run away, pass Megatron and Optimus, and try to get deeper into the forrest as shots are being fired at me. The first Decepticon is on my tail until Optimus tackles him down. It gets up, but Optimus just rips it's arm clean off. The second one comes after Optimus from behind, but Optimus just grabs it, force it down, and gives it a good pop in the helm.

Everything's going insane, as Optimus is trying to take on both of the Decepticons and Megatron at once. Dirt flies in the air behind me as I jump to a lower section of the forrest. I peak out from my hiding spot as Optimus takes on the second one, who's shooting like a mad-mech, and kneels it in the head.

"Prime! Have you forgotten that Energon is our life source? There is a source of Energon on this planet! She can lead us to it!" Megatron screams. The first Decepticon throws Optimus down and Megatron round house kicks him in the face. I wince and start running in the opposite direction. I hear a loud bang and suddenly Optimus is flying over me and landing a few feet away from me. Dust picks up and I'm forced to the ground. "Is the future of our race not worth a single human's life?" Megatron and the other two Decepticons started to advance on Optimus.

"Optimus, get up!" I shout. He's on one knee and has a look of determination spread across his face.

"You'll never stop at one," Optimus says. "I'll take you all on!" So much dirt is flying anywhere, I can hardly see a thing. All I do see, is Optimus fighting off the three almost easily. When the dust has cleared away, I see the other two Decepticons fumbling around and Optimus brutally throwing Megatron like a rag doll. I watch in horror as Optimus climbs onto one of the Decepticons and grip the sides of his face. With a sickening "No!", the Decepticon's face is torn off messily.

From up there with the Sun behind him, Optimus looks utterly powerful. Optimus jumps off and brings the Decepticon's lifeless body to it's knees. "Piece of tin." He looks tired and worn out. "Annie? Annie where are you?" It's all over, until I see Megatron advancing Optimus quietly from behind.

"Behind you!" I scream. It's too late. I watch as Megatron grabs Optimus's arm and then I see a sword coming straight through Optimus's chest: his Spark.

"No," Optimus weakly cries out. Megatron just lifts him higher and digging deeper into Optimus's Spark chamber as Optimus tries to release the weapon from his chest.

"You are so weak," Megatron taunts. "How could I have lost to you before?" A loud explosion erupts from Optimus's chest as his spark chamber explodes. Megatron let's him down and releases his sword from him. At first, Optimus's body is just lolling back and forth. Then as it falls to the ground, I feel my heart start to break. Only one tear escapes from me.

I stand up as smoke billows from Optimus's decaying body. I still see a faint glow in his eyes. A sound came from him, like a machine powering down. Only this time, Optimus would be powered down, forever.

"Annie," he groans. "You have to keep going. Don't let Megatron get ahold of you." At the last word, his voice fades and the light in his eyes dim out. As his last request, I run away from his body and toward where the road is.

Optimus's words rang through my head again, _"You have to keep going. Don't let Megatron get ahold of you." _So through my tears that are blurring my eyes and streaking down my cheeks, I run faster than I ever have.

I came back up on the dirt path with Megatron in pursuit and Ironhide is just pulling up and transforming.

"Autobots, attack!" he shouts and starts blasting one of the Decepticons. Behind him comes Mirage, Bumblebee, the Arcee Sisters, the twins and Jolt. Mirage has his door opened out for me and I climbed in. He starts driving away as fast as he can. Behind us, Ironhide, the Arcee Sisters, and Jolt were fending off the leftover Decepticons. Bumblebee and the twins were flanking Mirage as we drove away from the battle going on. Megatron has escaped.

I can't stop looking back. I can;t help replaying over the scene again, and again, in my mind. I can't help screaming in frustration. I can't help, but think...Optimus Prime is dead.

Mirage doesn't say where we're going; he doesn't say anything at all. His leader's death probably has also made a great impact on him. We cross over to Philadelphia and we head into a town. We pull over in an alley. I get out, but don't say anything.

I see Bumblebee's side door open and Justin and Todd come out.

"What are you two doing here?" I ask, finding my voice.

"He came and got us," Todd said hesitantly.

"Annie, what have you not been telling us?" Justin demands. So I come clean about the Autobots. I tell them everything I know, what happened in Mission City, Los Angeles, the Autobots, the Decepticons, everything. After I finish, they both are stunned to silence. Justin is the first to recover and shakes his head.

"Man Annie, you really got yourself screwed this time," he says and messes up my hair. I smile.

"How can you be so casual about this?" Todd asks out of breath.

"Have you seen Annie?" Justin asks. "She's not normal."

"Hey!" I shout. Justin chuckles and messes up my hair. Bumblebee then transforms and walks toward us.

"All these buildings are abandoned. You might want to take refuge in one of them," he says. "We'll keep watch of any Decepticons." I nod.

"Good thinking Bee," I say and turn to the two boys in front of me. "Move out."

We go into an abandoned house where we search for rations. Well I put them to work to search for rations. I just take a seat on the couch and think. _You have to keep going. Don't let Megatron get ahold of you_. I look at the Autobot pin that I kept in my pocket the whole time. I pin it proudly to my shirt. For Optimus, I have to keep running.

"Ann, you might wanna hear this," Todd says. He climbs down the stairs, handing me his cell phone and I see a flickering image. It's a creature, with metallic spikes for face and a thinly body. It's eyes glow even a more fearful red than Megatron's. Decepticon.

_"Humans, may your attention be brought that your leaders have hidden the truth from you. You are not alone on this planet. We have lived on this planet with you, hidden. However, all that changes now. As you have seen, we can destroy your cities in a moment. Unless you turn in Annie Catalano to us,we will destroy your entire world."_

I hand him back his phone and close my eyes. I can hear reports through his phone, but I ignore it until he starts saying, "They have pictures of Justin and I! They're on the look for us! We're wanted criminals!" He keeps repeating it over and over. I close my eyes trying to tune him out.

Finally I just get up and leave the house. Outside, the Autobots are out in the open. No one can see them. The brick walls of the house are big enough to shield them from the streets view.

"Annie, what's the news inside?" Mirage asks.

"Now's not a good time," I say professionally. "We need a plan." Justin and Todd come out a second later. "Dispose of all technology you have."

"What?" Justin asks.

"Cellphones, IPods, anything electronic give them to me," I command. They hand me their cellphones and I take mine out as well. I crush them under my feet. "We can't have anyone, or anything, track us." Once I'm pleased with my work, I kick up a cloud of dust for precaution.

I sit down on a abandoned tractor tire and run a hand through my hair. I sigh and look up at the Sun. I say, "They're probably taking his body in now, as we speak."

"Who's?" Todd asks, taking a seat next to me. "The big metal guy, Opium, you were saying?"

"Optimus," I corrected. "And he wasn't just a big metal guy, for your information."

"Annie, why are you being so defensive? He was just a robot." In a moment Todd is on his back and my foot is on his chest.

"He wasn't just a robot," I say. I can feel the tears starting up. "I actually cared about him more than I could've ever cared about you." I take my foot off him and walk away briskly. Yes it's something very cold of me to say, but he had to know the truth sometime.

I stand up on a overturned trashcan.

"Everyone set up camp. We'll be taking refuge here for the time being."

By nightfall we have a small fire going in a trashcan with rations of food for the three of us. I sit by the fire and stare at the flames dancing in front of me. The twins keep harassing Justin and Todd, not that I really care. Mirage and Bee converse quietly to each other. It's time to take a break from being a leader, and start being Annie again.

I curl up in a ball and wait for the tears to come out. They never come. I sit hunched up in the ball formation, waiting for the tears to come. But they just stay planted in the back of my head. I sigh. I hear footsteps and someone sits next to me. Mirage.

"Are you alright?" he asks, rubbing my back.

"No," I squeak. He opens his arms and I climb in them comfortably. "Optimus is gone. He died right before my eyes. Its all my fault."

"How can it be your fault? You didn't know," Mirage says, stroking my hair.

"I could've done something."

"Annie, you and I both know that there wasn't anything you could've done to save him."The tears finally sprang free and I cry into his chest.

"I know," I croak. "I wish I could've done something." I sit there in Mirage's arms for a long time. He doesn't say anything, to my pleasure. And I don't say anything either. We're both hurting on the inside. He lost his leader. I lost a friend. Finally, I rub my eyes and look back at the flames.

"I'm not going to let Optimus die in vain," I mutter. I stand abruptly. My necklace casts a blue glow on my face. I walk over to where Bee and the twins are.

"We need to start forming a plan," I say. Mirage transforms to his primal form and stands next to Bee. "The Decepticons want me again, but this time they want something else." I take off my necklace and concentrate. I close my eyes and feel myself reaching for a sharp rock on the ground. I start to draw randomly around in the ground. When I open my eyes again, I had made the same carvings my necklace has been projecting. "These symbols have been appearing from my necklace for the pass few months. Know what any of them mean?"

"That's Cybertonian right there," Mudflap says. "That's really, really, old Cybertonian."

"Can you read them?" I ask. Mudflap and Skids look at each other hesitantly.

"That's some old school crap you got there. We don't knows how to read either," Skids admits. I turn toward Bee and Mirage.

"Either one of you can translate?" I ask.

"No," Bee says. "Like he said, it's really old. I'm more of around your age in Cybertonian years. That language is older than Ratchet."

"Si, he is correct," Mirage agrees.

"I think I might know someone who can translate." I turn my head toward Todd. "Look I'm sorry about insulting your friend earlier-"

"Little bastard," Skids says. Todd just ignores him.

"-but I want you to know that I'm here to help. And I know a guy who might know about those symbols."

"That's great, who?" I ask.

"My uncle. He's a alien freak. One day in his office, I think I found a file with those symbols that look like you's inside."

"That's great, where is he?" I ask. He gnaws on his lower lip.

"Washington D.C." I groaned and did the calculations.

"Okay, it's only about a three hour trip from here to there. If we hurry we can make it by morning."

"Let's get going then," Justin said, already putting out the fire. We make sure to leave no clues of our stay here. Which means, covering footprints, destroying ashes, and cleaning up any other evidence. Once I am satisfied, I climb into the red Ferrari and we drive off. Todd and Justin ride with me. I sigh.

"I hope you know what you're doing Cuz'," Justin says.

"No, I don't."

_You have to keep going. Don't let Megatron get ahold of you._

* * *

><p><strong>I'd like to give a thank you to JustMakeLeftTurns, (no name), and LadyMalfoySnape for cheering me up in the reviews. I wanna thank JustMakeLeftTurns personally because she gave me the best encouragement (no offense to the other two who have).<strong>

**I'm happy to say, this has been a great week for me! As a treat i give all my readers cookies =^.^=**

**I notice a lot of reviews keep saying my vote is still on Optimus or I'm sticking with Mirage. I have decided who Annie wants to be with already. It's all typed out, but I wanna get a vote.**

**Vote on who Annie should end up with**

**Optimus or Mirage**

**This is really for my own personal thing. I just wanna see if more of my viewers would like the ending I have made up.**

**Thanks guys! Submit your vote in the reviews and I'll see you all later! :)**


	6. Uncle

In the middle of our road trip I feel myself start to fall asleep. When I open my eyes, I see the First Primes standing before me. They've visited me before, but lately they've been silent. I'm back in the barren landscape, with tall mountains, two moons, and soft sand. I sit on the sand with my knees slightly bent and my arms wrap around my thighs.

"Hello again Ms. Annie Catalano," one said. I can never tell if they are male of female.

"Pleasure's mine," I say. "I must say, we need more of these get-togethers."

"Now is not the time to joke." Ah, my good old friend Tarantellium. The one who says my death will be his joy. "We have important matters to discuss and such little time!"

"Tarantellium, hush," one scolded. "You are about to go into treacherous grounds."

"If you go to the place where your destiny says than you will be out of our help. We cannot help you along the way after you have crossed over to the other side."

"Other side? Like...death?" I asked hesitantly.

"No. There is only one part of Earth where our beings cannot help anyone. A place a lot like this one."

"Where?"

"We cannot say, but you will know when you reach there."

"What do you mean when I reach there? What are you talking about?"

Before I got an answer, my head falls to the sands and my world turns black. When I wake up again, Todd is with me.

"Annie, we're almost here," I look out the window. The Sun's just beginning to rise. We're on a highway, but I can see the signs are reading closer to Washington D.C.

"Thanks for waking me up," I say, stretching my arms a little.

"Annie, this is probably the only time we'll have together before we get blown to bits, so I have to tell you this now," he says. Justin is in the back seat snoring away and Mirage, I hope, isn't listening to this. "I don't think we can be a couple anymore."

"Because I'm an alien magnet, huh?" I say with a shy smile. He shakes his head and forces my chin up to lock our eyes together.

"Not at all," he says, "It's because after seeing you take charge like that, it proves that you are stronger and braver than I expected. It also shows me that no matter how much I love you, you'll always be too good for me."

"Y-You love me?" He gives me a small smile.

"That big of a shocker, huh?" he says. "The point is, I love you. But I know you'll never love me back the same way I love you. You'll always be my best friend, Annie. I just can't continue a relationship with someone I know won't be the one for me." He puts a strand of loose hair behind my ear and leans in.

It isn't like a passionate kiss; nor a deep kiss. Just a...goodbye kiss.

After he decides to take a nap. Boys; always sleeping. When I make sure he's asleep, I turn to the radio.

"I know you were eavesdropping," I say to it. The Ferrari pulls over into a rest stop. Bee and the twins follow us. Mirage parks in an empty parking space while Bee and the twins went to go find their own. I get out of the car to see Mirage's holoform already there.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asks. He walks away in a huff and I follow him.

"I didn't want you to know," I say.

"So you didn't want me to know about your secret relationship!" he shouts. Good thing no one's really around. "Don't you think I have the right to know!"

"I didn't know when to tell you."

"How about when I asked the other day? Ever think of that?" He lands his fist at an ATM machine. I jump a little. Where his fist was, leaves a large dent. "I can't believe I had to find out this way. Through your separation with each other." He runs a hand through his hair and sits on the curb.

"I'm so sorry Mirage, but you have to understand; I didn't want it to turn out this way. You have to believe me, I was going to tell you. Then I got shipped to Shanghai and Optimus died. Try having to wonder if you're going to wake up after you fall asleep or if your friends are going to make it through another day." I sit on the curb a few feet away from Mirage. I tuck myself into a ball position and start to cry.

I ignore the shuffling of feet and the body that sits itself next to me. I move away from the person. He moves toward me. We do the same thing again a few more times until Mirage wraps one arm around my shoulders, preventing me from moving away any further. He buries his face into my hair.

My cries have turned into hiccups, then my hiccups turn into sniffles, until finally my sniffles vanish away into nothing. I don't lift my head up from my position. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." My apology sounds muffled and weak. He kisses my hair.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," he whispers and pulls me in his arms.

"No, you have the right to. I should've told you," I say. We sit there for a minute before a man come up to us. He looks around 20-22. Has blond hair with black tips and aqua blue eyes. He looks very muscular. He wears jeans, a yellow T-shirt with two black lines going vertical, and black and yellow converse. He has the Autobot emblem on his one dog tag.

"Sorry for interrupting, but we must get going if we wanna make it there," Bee says. I nod and get up. I get a head start and walk towards the red Ferrari, still parked in the same place. I get inside and a moment later it starts up and we head the rest of the way to Washington D.C.

I wake up Justin and Todd after a few hours.

"What's the address?" Mirage asks.

"Just take a left here and go straight," Todd says. Mirage takes a sharp left and drives quickly toward the destination at hand. "Right here." We lurch to a stop.

I look out the window. We are in front of a small corner meat deli shop.

"This is the place," Todd says. I look at him questionably. "Don't worry. I'm sure this is the place." We pile out. The three of us walk inside, only to be met with the scent of rotten meat. Talk about disgusting. Not many people are around, but this store is so small, it feels so cramped. A few people are behind the counter chopping mysterious meats, except the guy that kept yelling orders catches my attention. That black, almost graying hair. That familiar accent. Most of all, that professional military stance.

"Agent Seymour Simmons," I say. I cross my arms over my chest. He stares at me with a blank expression.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks.

"You know my uncle?" Todd asks. Simmons turns to Todd.

"Todd? What are you doing here? Why is she here?" he asks. "Alright, everyone out!" Simmons shoos everyone out of the small deli, who groan and protest in frustration.

"Eh, Todd! My grandson!" I turn my head to a older woman, who comes out behind a curtain. Todd smiles and waves at her.

"Hi, Grandma."

"Ma, get back in the kitchen!" Simmons yells.

"You live with your Mom?" Justin asks, raising an eyebrow.

"No, my Mom lives with me. There's a big difference," Simmons points out. "Now will someone tell me why you're here!"

"First off, how do you know Annie?" Todd asks. Simmons looks around nervously.

"Follow me to the meat locker." He leads us to the back, which smells even worse, and takes us into the freezer. It's really cold in here. "Whatever you do, do not tell my mother about this." He moves a crate to reveal a secret door. He opens it to reveal a ladder. We all climb down.

We come into a weird cellar. It looks like it would have a lot of space, if it isn't so messy. Papers, books, and other stuff I have no idea what, piles on and on each other. All pushed against walls of filing cabinets. The only light came came from holes in the ceiling and metal crates that covered them. I swear, Simmons needs to have housekeeper. The three of us take a seat around a cluttered table.

"She's the little twerp that got me fired," Simmons said, pointing an accusing finger at me. "After we changed N.E.S.T from National Extraterrestrial Services and Team to National Extraterrestrial Services and _Transformers_, the government decided there was no need for Sector Seven. We were all fired. No money, no luxury retirement, nada. Left to work here, in a meat locker." He takes a seat at the table. "Now, what do you want kid?"

"Look at these signs," I say. I grab a pen and start to doodle on the back of an old piece of newspaper. After, I turn and push it towards him. My fingers jitter anxiously as Simmons slowly examines it.

"I know these," he says. He climbs on a chair and reaches for a file at the top of a cabinet, that is stacked with files. "I got all these babies before I got fired. The government didn't want them anymore, neither did any of my colleagues. So I got the whole mother load. Seventy five years of research. The Transformers, oh, they've been here longer than you and I have." He drops a couple files on the table. He gets down from the chair and walks over to the table.

"Archeologists found these markings all over the world on ancient ruins. China, Egypt, Peru, Italy, Russia." At each country, Simmons throws another picture from the file. All are of stone ruins, but with the signs that I've been drawing, carved into them.

"These are the same symbols," I say, spreading them out and examining them all at once. I'm positive.

"Now, here is where we were stuck," Simmons says. "How did all those places, get the same symbols. One word: aliens." He pulls out another. "Operation: Black Wing." He opens it and throws out black and white photos of planes and old cars.

"All of them showed high radioactive readings. Aliens, hiding here, in disguises, looking for something. When I asked Sector Seven to investigate further into this, but they denied. They thought it was just something wrong with the models. They said I was crazy! Ha! Can you believe it?" Simmons says quickly. Then pulls a weird looking device from a box in the corner. "This is the device that helps track large sources of Energon."

"Like a Energon detector," I say.

"Precisely!" Simmons says.

"Megatron said something about another Energon source on Earth. Energon is their life source. Like blood is for humans to survive. However, the only difference is, is that blood cells keep reproducing. Energon is like gas, once it's all gone, you need to refill it."

"Well now all we have to do is find it."

"We can. I have it memorized in my head. It's in ancient Cybertonian."

"Can any of your little alien friends translate it?"

"No. By my knowledge, this was even before their time. I think we need to talk to a Decepticon, see if they know it." For a moment Simmons stares off into space before a spark of hope dances in his eyes. He snaps his fingers.

"I think I know where to get one." He says it like going to get a pair of shoes at the mall for 50% off. He reaches under the table and pulls out a suitcase. It's tied up in chains and held together with a big padlock. He fetches out a key from his pocket and unlatches it. We help him get the chains off. When that's done, he unlatches it and opens it up.

"Finally! The Sun! Oh how I love the Sun!" I jump back at the voice coming from the box. A head pops up, a blue Decepticon. However, this one's about the size of a large dictionary; very small compared to most Decepticons. The Decepticon's head turns toward me. I see one of it's eye is crippled.

"What happened to it's eye?" Justin asks.

"Hey! Hey, buddy! I am not a thing! I am a highly advanced mechanical being, for your information! Far more advanced in your race, that's for sure," it says in an annoyed tone. "And if you wanna know, ask grandpa over there." He jabs a finger at Simmons.

"Hey you were the one creeping through the trash! I just happen to step on your eye. You were the one who started to blast me with your little bullets!" Simmons retorted.

"You wanna go grandpa!" The Decepticon challenged.

"Both of you shut up!" I yell. We're running out of time. I turn to the Decepticon. "State your designation."

"Alright, alright, geez. Name's Wheelie," he says.

"Well, Wheelie, can you read these? Or at least understand them?" I ask, calming down a fraction.

"Yeah well what's in it for me, pretty thing," he says. I roll my eyes and grab the closest thing near me; a conveniently located dagger. Something's really messed up in Simmons' head. I grab Wheelie's neck and push him against the table. I put the dagger close to his good eye.

"Listen you little cretin, if you don't tell me what you know, then that good eye of your's is about to meet the same fate as your bad eye," I threaten. "It's your choice."

"Okay, okay! Damn girl, I was just kiddin'," he says. I let him go, but keep a firm grip on the dagger. He crouches down next to the marks I made on the paper. "Oh yeah, this right here is the language of The Primes. Original Primes to be exact."

The Primes.

"You knows I don't read it, but these guys." Wheelie taps on the pictures of the old vehicles. "Ancient old. Stay here for centuries trying to find something. Find one and they'll be able to read it."

"Do you know where we could talk to one?" I ask. A whirring starts to go on through his head before he instinctively pointed a red laser at a certain point on the American map, hanging on a wall.

"Closest one," Wheelie says. Simmons gets closer to the map.

"It's right here in D.C."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go," Todd says.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Young man, where do you think you're going?" Simmons halts. "If your mother found out I let you go off to be part of an intergalactic war, she'd have my head."

"Uncle Seymour-"

"No butts Todd. I ain't having my head on a silver platter this early in life," Simmons said. How old does he think he really is? I'm guessing around sixty to a million years old. Todd gives me a pleading look.

"Please Annie, tell him I can go," he begs. I shake my head in defeat.

"I might be one of the most experienced in this mission, but legally he has the power over you," I answer sadly. "I'm really sorry, Todd." He slumps his shoulders in defeat.

"Now, let me change my pants and we can go," Simmons says. "Todd, help Grandma out in the shop."

"Yessir," Todd grumbles. The four of us start to climb up the ladder, when Wheelie speaks up.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind!" he defends. I turn to him for a moment and consider leaving him behind. "Girl, you are going to need every Decepticon ally you can get. It'd be stupid if you let this opportunity go." I groan. He's right. I grab him by the neck and climb the ladder to the meat locker.

I throw Wheelie into Mudflap's backseat.

"Keep an eye on him."

"What! I ain't babysitting a Decepticon baby!" Mudflap says.

"Baby! Who you callin' a baby you prissy!" Wheelie interjects. Skids drives up next to Mudflap.

"Don't you be callin' my bro a prissy, you fetus!" Skids says. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Oh, you three are going to get along very well," I say and walk toward the red Ferrari. I climb into the drivers seat to find Mirage's holoform in the passenger seat. Justin is trying to keep watch outside the meat shop.

"Are you sure we should trust that thing?" he asks cautiously. "Honestly," I smirk and turn my head towards him. "I'm completely winging it."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! Thanks to all of you who voted. Here is the result<strong>

**Optimus - ||||| |||||**

**Mirage - ||||| ||**

**I was actually shocked when i found my inbox full of messages on the vote. I mean I think i got over 20-something with a few ppl who didn't vote. The winner is Optimus and thank you all who reviewed last chapter :)**

**I know most of you, if not all of you, are doing something this holiday season. So Marry Christmas Eve, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza to you all :)**

**I'll be updating again tomorrow, so I'll post my question tomorrow, haha.**

**Note - I have already picked who Annie ends up with. This is sorta a head count of my readers on who's on which side.**

**So thanks again**

**R&R**


	7. Jetfire

"The National Air and Space Museum."

It isn't a far of a drive from Simmons' meat shop to the coordinates Wheelie told us. They lead us to the Air and Space Museum. I came here before for a school trip. That reminds me. My old town is not far from here. It gives me a wave of nostalgia.

"I always wanted to be an astronaut." I look an Simmons with a inquiring look.

"Does that explain all the alien obsession?" I ask.

"Hey, it's not an obsession," he points out. I roll my eyes. I turn away to examine the museum one more time. I know the security there, tight. By now is around closing time as well. Simmons' took that long getting ready. It's gonna be difficult getting in.

"Okay you all know the plan right. Watches synchronized and if you get caught, you don't know who I am." He throws Justin a pill bottle. "Slip one under your tongue and you can pass any polygraph. Only one though, don't wanna see what happens with two." I take one and slip it in my pocket. I doubt I'm gonna need it, but it might come in handy later. Simmons takes out a taser from the metal case he brought with.

"I'd give you both one, but I ain't sure I can trust you kids with-"

"We've worked with a taser before," Justin and I say in unison. He gives us a frightened look and I sigh.

"Our parents wanted us to be able to protect ourselves. Mine is back at the dormitory," I say. Justin reaches to the inside of his jacket and pulls out a taser of his own. Pressing the button a few times in the air, creating an electric shock between the two metal bars. Simmons looks at us like freaks.

"What is wrong with this family," he says.

Minutes later, I'm sneaking into through the back with Simmons while Justin went through the front, causing a distraction. What distraction, I don't know. And I don't think I want to know.

A backpack slung over my shoulder, carried stuff Simmons says we HAVE to bring along. He said specifically NOT to look inside. I'm a little scared to see what is inside this backpack.

Simmons gives a signal and I sneak inside. He gently closes the door and I see a shadow coming in from around the corner. He points over to the mannequin display. I slide under the metal bar separating the mannequins from everything else, and duck behind a mannequin.

Simmons is a few feet away from me. He slips off the jacket of one of the mannequins and slips it on himself. He stays perfectly still. Just as a security guard comes passing, Simmons gras his wrist and taser him in the stomach.

"Smooth," I comment. We walk out and turn a corner. We had to keep hiding behind things for a few times, Simmons and I taking turns using our taser. I didn't feel good about hurting those security guards, but I had a mission to tend too.

We finally get to the real Air and Space Museum where the planes and spaceships are really displayed. It's more like a hangar. Dozens of them, hundreds, maybe even thousands. To think, some are actually Transformers, Autobots and Decepticons alike. Amazing technology that have been hiding here right beneath our noses.

"Where's the boy?" Simmons asks. My fascination is shortened and I look around. Justin was suppose to cause a distraction, get rid of a few of the guards, and meet us here. He's nowhere to be seen.

"Go look. I'll stay here and keep watch," I say. Simmons nods and heads off toward the entrance. No guards come my way. No cameras from my perspective, either. The security here is very weak. A few minutes later, Simmons comes back dragging Justin by his left leg. "What did you do?"

"Boy here got a taser in the chest by a guard. Very, very sloppy," Simmons scolded. "What have you got to say for yourself boy?"

"Not my faulT! He came Up behind Me!" Justin says.

"Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy," Simmons muttered. Justin, did his best, to glare at Simmons.

"Get it together, "I say. "So how are we gonna track one down?" Simmons takes the backpack from me. He pulls out his portable Energon detector.

"This is gonna help us find one of them," he says. He throws the backpack to the ground and a blue toy monster truck rolls out. It transforms into Wheelie.

"Hey be gentle! You got precious cargo here!" Wheelie shouts up at us.

"I thought I left you in the Camaro," Simmons says.

"Yeah, well too bad Gramps," Wheelie says. "Besides you need me. I can detect another Transformer close by. As a matter of fact..." He transforms back into the toy truck and drive off. Simmons just walks in the same direction, but different path, holding the device up like a metal detector.

"Follow him," Justin says. He goes after Simmons, but I run after Wheelie. For a little guy, he can sure drive fast. We swerve through the path, ducking under other wings of planes and ships. Finally, Wheelie hits head straight into the wheel of a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Beautiful.

My necklace starts to glow brighter. Simmons and Justin come up from the other side of the plane. The Energon detector is beeping like crazy. Simmons turns it off and gazes at the fine piece of aircraft. Wheelie transforms.

"Oh man, this guy isn't just one of the ones; he's a legend. Big man himself. You should be honored to be in his wake," Wheelie says.

I can feel my necklace start to heat up and it's forcing my body to go closer to it. It moves my body until I'm at the nose of the plane. I take my necklace off and hold it up. Like a magnet, it shoots out of my hand and right on the nose.

A blue glow emits from the necklace and it goes through the plane. The stone falls back in my palm. I can hear the plane powering up. Then a through strikes my mind. I run to the underside of the plane and I see the Decepticon symbol. My eyes widen and I run toward my cousin and Simmons.

"Damn it! Its a Decepticon!" We run and hide under one of the other planes. Wheelie comes driving next to us and we watch the thing transform. It isn't like the way other Autobots and Decepticons transform. It had a difficult time and even had to force it's helm up over it's eyes. Red eyes. Shit.

"What the Pit! Where am I?" he screams. He has the voice of an elder. He even has a walking stick. This guy really is ancient. He looks so tiny in this big museum. He whips his head towards us. "I can smell you. Show yourselves!"

We a calmly do as told. Well, Simmons and I do at least. Justin looks like he's about to have a heart attack. He shoves a large plane away from his face, and it ended up falling to the ground on top of another. The museum is gonna kill us.

"Show some respect. For I am the great, Jetfire!" he bellows. Jetfire's legs creak with old age and his whole body is almost all rusted. Wheelie transforms into his original form.

"This guy really didn't age well, even as a legend," he comments. Jetfire walks up to the hangar's doors.

"I command these doors to open! Open!" he shouts at it. It's a bit amusing if you ask me. "Slag it! What kind of scrap metal place is this?" He smashes the doors down and walks out.

"Follow him," I say. The four of us run to catch up with the old Decepticon. Let's just hope his blaster's rusted as well or he won't step on us.

"You think the museum would notice any of the damages?" Justin asks.

Outside is like a desert, but with planes all lined up. Jetfire doesn't get very far and he's making a mess of metal everywhere. Bee, Mirage, and the twins come driving up from around the corner. They park a few planes away from Jetfire.

"Yeah I think they're gonna notice," I say. Jetfire's saying all gibberish that I don't understand. It sounds like he's a leader, shouting orders at a team.

"Hey, hey, buddy!" Simmons shouts up to Jetfire. He barely notices us.

"What do you want! I'm on an important mission. What planet is this?" he asks.

"Earth," I say.

"Earth?" he says with disgust. "What a horrible name for a planet! Might as well name it Dirt! Planet Dirt!" As insulting that is, he has a point. He spits when he talks, which I might add, is disgusting. Jetfire leans in closer and has to balance himself out on his cane. "Is that robot civil war still going on? Who's winning?"

"The Decepticons," I say. He spits in disgust to a spot next to him.

"Well, I changed sides to the Autobots."

"What do you mean changed side?" Simmons asks.

"It's a choice. What, you think we're born Decepticon or Autobot and have to stay there?" he says. "The Decepticons were so negative, who wants to live a life filled with so much hate?" I sigh in relief.

"Wait, so you don't have to work of them Decepticons?" Wheelie asks.

"Of course not! I mean, who would? The Decepticons want to destroy the whole universe, even if it means destroying themselves in the process. Bunch of idiots, they are," Jetfire spats.

"I'm changing sides!" Wheelie bursts out. "As long as you keep Grandpa away from my other eye." I reach down and pat him on the head.

"Don't worry Wheelie, I'll make sure you keep your other eye," I say.

"I am under your control, gorgeous. Say anything and it will be done," he says, I think, seductively.

"But if you cross the line. I'm taking out your other eye, personally," I threaten. He backs away from me.

"So..what were you saying Jet-storm?" Justin asks hesitantly. JetFIRE pounds his walking stick on the ground, making us all fall.

"I said my name was Jetfire! Don't you dare insult me, little spineless twit!" he snaps at Justin. Justin sinks into the ground like a coward puppy.

"Who pissed in his coffee?" Wheelie says. Jetfire just ignored him.

"Don't I get some respect! My ancestors have been here for centuries! My father was the first wheel, the first! Do you know what he transformed into? Nothing! But he still had honor and dignity!" Jetfire said. He's a lot like a cranky grandpa if you think about it.

Simmons and Justin were trying to reason with Jetfire in incomprehensible stutters. A large fart noise came and a parachute ejected itself from Jetfire's...well, you get the picture. Jetfire tumbled backwards and lands on his aft. We run up to him. He's muttering complaints and looks just like one of the elders in a senior home.

"Jetfire," I say. He turns to me. "I think I may know something that can help you with your mission."

"What? How can you know anything? You're just a human," he says. I ignore his comment. I lift my stone up and the images projected into the air, bigger though.

"These symbols. The stone has been projecting them for a while now. Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, wants them," I say. "Do you know anything about The Fallen?"

"The Fallen!" he bellows in anger. "The Fallen left me here to rust! That little glitch! I hate to say, that he is one of the original Primes!"

The Primes.

"It's all coming back to me! My mission, The Fallen, the Primes, dagger's tip, all of it!" Jetfire mutters. I didn't understand a thing about what he just spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Simmons asks.

"No time to explain!" he shouts. He puts a claw over us and we huddle together. "Hang on, or you'll die!" I close my eyes tightly and feel the electric sparks in the air. I have a bad feeling about this...

Next thing I know, I'm hurling through the air and land on the dusty desert ground, hitting my head ruffly. It's not a desert like the ones with the Primes. This is an actual desert on Earth. I clutch my head and try to open my eyes. When I do, my vision is fuzzy and I keep seeing two's and three's of everything. I think something in my head is damage, when I feel someone lift me up. Startled, I see Mirage's arms around my waist.

"Are you okay?" he asks. I lean on his chest to support myself. My head really hurts.

"Annie!" Justin's voice runs through my ears. He sounds like he's in pain. I pull myself from Mirage's arms and run toward the direction of the voice. I see Justin, lying on his stomach, groaning in agony. I crouch next to him.

"Justin! What happened? Are you hurt?" I ask. I see no blood, which is a good sign.

"I'm fine, except." He rolls over and I see a squished green planet where his body was just. I see little needles in them. "I landed on a really prickly shrub." I lift his shirt a little. His stomach is really red, but there doesn't seem to be too much damage.

"You know, this would be such a funny moment if we weren't in this kind of predicament," I joke. He looks at me with an annoyed look.

"Love you too, Cuz'." I help him up, and we each support each other walking to where Jetfire, Simmons, the twins, Bee, and Mirage are on a rocky mountain not far. We both sit down.

"Are you two alright?" Simmons asks. I nod weakly. "Good." Such a great man, huh?

"What did you just do! You could've killed someone! You are just lucky I am not injured, or else I would have my lawyer on you-" Simmons rants.

"Where are we?" Justin asks me.

"Oh, stop complaining. I told you I was opening a Space Rift. It's the only fastest way to travel to Egypt," Jetfire says carelessly. I stand up,my blood still pounding in my head.

"Space Rift? What Space Rift? You didn't tell us anything! Why the hell are we in Egypt!" Simmons asks, very pissed off.

"Don't you get snippy with me, I can have your head in seconds!" he says. I pinch the bridge of my nose. Simmons is neither people nor robot person, is he? Jetfire takes a seat on the rocks.

"Let's all just calm down," I say, trying to make peace. I turn to Jetfire. "Can you please, Jetfire, tell us why we are in Egypt? So that we may get an idea of what is going on?"

"This planet was visited by our ancestors, eons and eons ago. They were on an expedition for Energon, the life source for our race. Without it, we all crumble and rust into scrap metal. Let me tell you, it's not pleasant slowly falling apart and dying!" Jetfire screams.

"Come on man stick with the story," Simmons says, getting impatient. "Time line: beginning, middle,end. Facts, details, etc."

"Somewhere in this desert, our ancestors built a magnificent machine; a machine that harvests Energon. However, the downfall is that it destroys Stars in the process," Jetfire continues.

"Stars?" Justin asks. "Like the Sun? Like 'ka-boom'?"

"Precisely," he says. "In the beginning, the first Primes, our Gods. They set out to find distant Suns to harvest. They only had one rule with this machine: never destroy a planet with life. One however, got impatient and decided to defy this rule. His name will forever be: The Fallen."

Jetfire got up and with his free hand he projected an image in front of us. A cruel looking Decepticon, with red eyes that look even crueler than Megatron's (if possible). Jetfire continues twisting his tale, "The Fallen, hated humans. He wanted to destroy you all, by turning on the harvester. The only way to activate it is the Matrix of Leadership."

An image of something that looks like a Christmas tree ornament came up in the projection. A battlefield came up next. "A great battle took place over possession of the Matrix." The image zoomed in on The Fallen. He held a spear in one hand and the Matrix in another. Another one of the Primes came up. It was Tarantellium. Two more came and together they all took down The Fallen.

"The Fallen was stronger than his brothers." Now I know what gender they all are. "So they had no choice, but to steal and hide it from him." I see Tarantellium hold the Matrix in his two hands and turn away with the rest of his brothers. "In a final sacrifice. They gave their lives to hide and seal the Matrix away, with their very own bodies. A Prime is a noble warrior, with strength as valuable as gold. By giving their lives, the Matrix was sealed away from The Fallen and everyone else, forever."

An image of the Primes all gathering around a hollowed out piece of a mountain. The Matrix was in the middle. They surrounded it. A bright glow gave out, and in their place is glowing rock. The glow slowly fades and it looks like any other piece of a mountain.

"Somewhere, buried in this desert, that machine is still there. The Fallen knows where it it, and if he finds the Tomb of the Primes, he won't hesitate in activating it. Thus destroying your world," Jetfire finished.

"How do we stop The Fallen?" I ask.

"Only a Prime can defeat The Fallen. There is no other way," Jetfire says. I gulp down the lump in my throat.

"Like Optimus Prime?" I ask with a shaking voice. Jetfire leans down toward me.

"You know a Prime? You must've met a great descendent. Is he here, on Earth? Alive?" Jetfire speaks with so much hope in his voice, it makes me tear up a little.

"Megatron killed him," I say in a whisper. I sniff and rub my eyes.

"Dead, eh?" Jetfire's enthusiasm is drained from his voice. "Then we're all doomed. Without a Prime, it's impossible to defeat The Fallen."

"What about my stone?" I ask. "This stone has given enough power to defeat a whole fleet of Decepticons. If it can do that, can that energy also revive Optimus?" Jetfire puts a finger to his lips.

"It's a long shot, but it just might work. Even if it can, it won't matter if The Fallen gets the Matrix," Jetfire says.

"Then how can we get to the Tomb of the Primes, before The Fallen does?" I ask.

"Follow the stone, the map. Those symbols in that thing is a map. It's a clue to the Tomb of the Primes! When dawn alight's the dagger's tip, three kings will reveal the doorway! Go find the doorway!" Jetfire cheers on. "That was my mistake. Don't make the same mistakes as me, this is now your mission. Get the Matrix before the Decepticons find me, and you."

A burst of energy goes through me and I'm running down the mountain side with the Autobots, Justin, and Simmons behind me.

"Shouldn't we take Jetfire with us? After all, he probably knows what he's doing more than we do," Justin asks, jogging up to me.

"We have to leave him behind. It's our mission now."

* * *

><p><strong>Just gonna clean up something here, but the vote of who you guys wanted with Annie, had no effect on my decision. Remember just a head count lol<strong>

**Merry Christmas Everyone :) My gift to all of you is the chapter! If you wanna give me something, review lol.**

**Question: If you voted for Optimus/Mirage, would you keep reading if Annie ended up with the other character?**


	8. The Matrix

Within a few minutes, we're driving through the desert leaving a trail of smoke behind us. We are driving inside of the red Ferrari Simmons is riding shotgun while I'm at the wheel and Justin is hanging around in the back seat with Wheelie. Hey, we couldn't leave the little guy behind. Simmons is on the phone with a CIA contact.

He gets off the phone and starts to speak quickly. "My CIA contact says, they used to call the Gulf of Agraba the Dagger's Tip. It's part of the Red Sea; it divides Egypt and Jordan like the tip of the blade. 29.5º north, 35º east."

"You get all that Mirage?" I ask into the radio.

"Si, senorita," he responds. I nod and let out a loud sigh.

"Okay, here's the plan. First we gotta get Optimus' body here and somehow find the Matrix before The Fallen does. Then we use my stone to revive Optimus, destroy the Matrix and the machine, Optimus takes down The Fallen. Then we go home and have a cup of tea," I say.

"How are we supposed to get him from halfway around the world?" Justin asks. I hesitate before answering.

"We're gonna have to make a call." I look through the rearview mirror and see black cars.

"Cops. Speed it up," Simmons says. We drive into a little town. By little, I mean little streets. Mirage and Bumblebee can barely fit through here. "We have to get off the main street." We swerve a few more ruff corners, crashing through a fruit cart, and spin into an empty alley. The Autobots transform and try to fit like a puzzle with the buildings. It's very amusing, if you ask me. Simmons, Justin and I duck behind the brick railing. I peak my head up.

"This is what I call blending in like a ninja," Skids says.

"They're gone," I whisper. The houses here are so cramp, I literally jump from one backyard into another. "We have to get a call to Lennox."

"Are you crazy? You are on the world-wide-wanted list. They can track you here in seconds and then you'll be thrown in the Big House. What good will that do? The CIA is all over this place looking for you," Simmons says.

"That's why you are talking, not me," I smirk. Simmons wags an approving finger at me.

"Smart, smart. That's a good idea," he says. We find a payphone close by. The Autobots stay in their awkward position. Justin gives me his hat so no one can see my face. He decided to stay with the Autobots in case something happens. Simmons punches in the number and waits. A few minutes later I can hear Lennox's faint voice over the phone.

"Hey Lennox, it's me. I'm with her. Her, _her_. Bring the truck. We have a possible resurrection here. Code Tut. As in Tutankhamen. Back of a one dollar bill. Coordinates for airdrop: 29.5 north, 35.88 east. Write it down, write it!" Simmons says quickly and in a hush whisper. "Okay, I gotta go, I gotta go."

I can hear Lennox's protests, but Simmons hangs up anyway. Suddenly the entire phone part falls off the wall. Yeah, that won't attract attention at all. Note my sarcasm. Someone in a head shawl is running up to us.

"I'm sorry, I was just getting off the-" Simmons is cut short when the person removes the face part of the shawl to reveal Justin.

"It's me, Justin. Look we gotta get outa here, the cops are coming." Without another word we rush back to where we left the Autobots.

Within a few minutes we're peeling down the road to Jordan. We probably broke a few laws. I stay in the backseat this time, with tinted black windows. Justin's at the wheel and Simmons is still riding shotgun.

"Check-point," Simmons says. "Everyone stay calm, go along with what I say, and don't speak." I move up a little in my seat to get a better view. We're stopped and I can hear someone's boots coming our way. Simmons nudges me in the stomach. His head is nudging upwards and I glance out the window. Camera. I casually slide back in my seat.

"Aw man, it's a short guy. Short guy's are the meaner ones," Wheelie says. He should talk. "Tell him he looks tall." I roll my eyes and push him back on the floor. The short man comes up to Simmons' window and it rolls down.

The two talk in, what sounds to be, Arab. All I can make out is "Dagger's Tip" until Simmons start to talk to English again. "This is my family. We're on vacation, going to Jordan. This is my son and daughter. We're from New York."

The little man screams "New York!" and then more Arabian. Then he blows his whistle and the bar lifts up and we're free to go. After a few minutes of driving, we come to the Great Pyramids of Giza. The coast is clear the the Autobots transform into their primal form.

If we weren't short on time, I might've taken in the sight of the pyramids. They're huge. Like make the Autobots cower in their size, huge. However, time is something that isn't on our side.

"Yo you gotta blend in with your landscape," Mudflap says. He isn't looking where he's going and crashes right into Bee's leg. It's kinda funny. An abandoned shack is right in front of us and we take refuge inside.

"Hey, behave yourselves! Don't bring any attention," I say.

"Yeah," Wheelie says, climbing into the shack with us. "Dumb Autobots." For a good hour we scour the premises to make sure this abandoned shack _is _abandoned. We get food, supplies, and rest up for the night. Tomorrow will be when all the good stuff happens. We sleep in our own little hammocks Justin helped me make.

The desert is so hot in the morning, but freezing at night. I decide to take a stroll outside when I couldn't sleep. I'm careful not to wake up the two males and tip-toe out of the room. I sit outside in the cold and just think of what might lie tomorrow. Will we really bring Optimus back to life? Even I'm starting to question it. Even if we do, will he even have enough strength to defeat The Fallen? We still need to find the Matrix and I'm already thinking ahead of myself.

Someone sits down next to me and wraps their arms around me.

"You looked cold," Mirage says.

"Thanks," I mutter.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"What if we fail? What if The Fallen gets ahold of the Matrix? What if...we can't revive Optimus?" Mirage pulls me closer.

"Don't say that. It's gonna turn out okay in the end. Basti pensare positivo."

"I'm starting to doubt if I can lead you guys into battle," I admit.

"You're a great leader, Annie. Look where we are now. We wouldn't have made it this far, if it weren't for you." I don't answer. I feel him kiss my cheek.

"I thought you and Prime were done with me." He turns so I'm sitting vertically across his lap.

"Don't you ever say or think that." I get up abruptly and walk a few feet away.

"But it's true. You and Prime were done with me not choosing between the two of you. And I never got to say I'm sorry I never did." I feel myself being turned around. Mirage holds my waist with one arm and the other holds my chin up, keeping our eyes locked.

"We never gave up on you. Prime and I both agreed that we were putting too much pressure on you to choose. We both knew that you have feeling for us both and that decision was too much for you. We both decided that it would be better if we took the pressure off you."

"Ironically I think you guys made it worse," I whisper. "After you told me what you told me, I've missed both of you so much. I thought you two didn't care about me anymore." I can feel the tears come up and they fall without my permission. He wipes them away with his thumb pads.

"Please don't cry," Mirage says softly. "I speak for Prime and I both, that we're so very sorry for putting you through this suffering." I grab onto his shirt.

"I don't want to lose you like I did with Optimus," I cry. "If I lost both of you, I don't know what I would do."

"Shh...it's okay. I'll never leave you. I promise we'll bring Prime back, Autobot swear." I look up at his kind eyes through my tears. I lean up and kiss him. When I pull away after, I walk straight back inside the shack, and to my hammock. I don't know what I'm feeling anymore. I slowly fall asleep.

I don't sleep for long, because Justin's voice disturbs me awake.

"Simmons! Annie! Wake up!" Justin shouts. I groan and get up. Well that was a nice five minutes. Simmons snores awake. Justin's at the stairs that go to the roof. "Come on, I think I got something." He seems really eager.

Simmons and I stumble up the stairs. The Sun is just beginning to come up over the horizon, casting a beautiful glow over the desert. Justin's pointing at three stars still in the sky.

"See those three stars? See how the last one touches the horizon. That's Orion's Belt. It's also called the Three Kings. The Three Kings who built the Pyramids of Giza, built them to match the three stars. So it's like an arrow pointing our way," Justin says.

"Points due east: Jordan. Mountains of Petra," Simmons says. "If we go now, we can make it there soon."

"Let's go, then," I say. "Move out." Within minutes, we climb into the red Ferrari, and we peel out into the sunrise. We get to the mountains by mid-morning. By around noon, we're climbing the Mountains of Petra. We climb for an hour and find nothing. I'm in the lead, Simmons is a foot or two behind me, and Justin's lagging. The Autobots are pushing him on, but he's still fumbling over his own two feet.

"Keep up boy," Simmons says. How can such an old dude walk so much?

"We've been walking a long time now. How long do you think til we get there?" Justin asks.

"Who knows? Could be hours, minutes-" I cut off Simmons.

"How about a few seconds?" I suggest, rounding a corner. In front of me is a palace. No, a castle. Let's just say it's bigger than the Autobots and completely gorgeous. It's a structure that can make the Eiffel Tower look like crap. I run toward the only open entrance and I have to put both hands on the ledge and launch myself up. Justin, Simmons, and even the Autobots trail behind me. To them it's like walking inside a fairly large doorway.

Inside is a steep slope down. At the end is a beautiful painting that only a master can produce. I barely pay attention to any of these things though. I'm looking for something. Anything that can give me a clue about the Primes. Why couldn't they have given me a clue? All that's left in the room is dirt. I sit down at the foot of the painting and try to think.

"This is the biggest doorway I have ever seen," Simmons comments. Then turns to Justin. "Examine the area."

"I'm pretty sure archaeologist already cleared up everything that was here already. I think they would've found a giant alien robot grave," Justin says. "I thought Jetfire said there was gonna be something here. Looks like he didn't know anything after all."

"Stop whining kid!" Simmons says. I think he's fed up with Justin's complaining as much as I am. "This is real life! Sometimes you get to the end of the rainbow and find out the leprechauns went and booby-trapped it!"

"Somethings here. I can feel it," I whisper. My necklace is pulsing against my chest. It's here. The Tomb of the Primes is here.

"Annie, look around. There's nothing else here. We came all the way here and found nothing. We're back to square-one, we need a new plan," Justin says.

"Yo why should we listen to your bitch ass," Mudflap says. "All you are is this girls relative. She's the real boss of this."

"That's enough," I try to stop.

"Yeah, shouldn't be picking on the family bro," Skids says.

"Not my fault the boy's useless. Megatron's back and we ain't got shit."

"You scared, man. Scared of Megatron?"

"I'm scared all right...of your ugly face!" Mudflap hits Skids in the face.

"I'm ugly? We're twins you stupid genius!" Skids lunges after Mudflap. Even though this room is bigger than them, it still is too small for them to have a brawl in.

"Guys, guys! You're gonna hurt someone or break-" I'm cut off by Skids lifting up Mudflap. I jump out of the way just as he throws Mudflap at the painting. "something."

"Get them out of here!" Simmons shouts. Bee grabs Mirage in one hand and Skids in the other, bangs their heads together, and then throws them outside.

"Now that's what I call taking out the garbage," Wheelie says. Justin comes over and places a hand on my shoulder.

"Annie, it's over. I'm really sorry that we've come all the way here to find nothing. Maybe there's another clue," he tries to comfort. I'm not paying attention to a word of what he says. The painting. The crack the twins made; why does it feel like cold wind is slowly streaming out from it? I touch the outline of the crack. It's hollow inside. I move the paper away a little and look inside. The only thing I see is the strange Cybertonian marks. I gasp and back away.

"Mirage, shoot the painting," I say. Justin, Simmons, Wheelie, and I move back as Mirage aims and shoots a big hole into it. Note: apologies for the painter. I look inside and see more of the same carvings. I dare myself, and step inside.

Magnificent is the only word I can find to describe the secret tomb. The Primes lifeless bodies intertwined and froze. Their helms and faces were up there, somewhere, covered in dust. Metal twists and turns everywhere. I have to watch my step, afraid that I'll trip and fall flat on my face. There in the center. It's in the center of a claw. The Matrix.

I rush up to it and get on my knees. It's here. Right here. I did it. I found it. I reach out, scared that I might break it. This thing might be very fragile. I'm not losing this thing, not now. I carefully pick it up and hold it in my hands in glory.

It shines with pride. A piece from the outer shell falls off and drifts to the ground. I hold my breath. Nothing happens. I let it out through my nose. The Matrix feels so delicate, yet heavy. It's about the size of the length from my fingertips to my elbow. It's pretty thin. It's pretty big. I wonder where I'm gonna keep it.

"You found it," Justin whispers. I smirk.

"Told you something's here," I say cockily. Simmons stumbles in and gapes at the space.

"Wow. Never thought I'd see a alien tomb. Now I'm standing in one," he gasps. I roll my eyes.

"Let's get out of here," I say. We crawl out and go outside. It's still pretty early into the afternoon. In the distance I see a large cargo plane and a few large dots falling down from them. Optimus.

"They're dropping Big Man," Simmons mutters. We climb up on a sand dune to get a better look. "You think that magic rock has enough power to revive such a big robot?"

"No," I answer truthfully. "I think I might have to use the Matrix."

"The Matrix?" Justin asks stunned.

"I have a feeling that if I use any more energy from the necklace like I did in Los Angeles, my outcome won't be good. Remember, this thing is still mentally attached to me. If I- _we - _use too much energy, we might burn out," I say.

"Can that even be possible?" Justin asks, turning to the Autobots. "Using the Matrix to revive Optimus that is."

"From what Jetfire spoke of, we cannot say exactly," Bee says, shrugging.

"We'll have to find out then," I say with confidence. "Let's go." We practically trip and fall our way down the mountainside. When we finally do, I see more dots and little dots fall around the same area of where Optimus landed. We pile into Mirage and peel away from the mountains as fast as we can. I dump out all of Simmons supplies out and put the Matrix in knapsack. I sling it over my shoulder in the backseat. Simmons is at the wheel and Justin is riding shotgun.

A flare goes up in the air. That's where they are.

"Step on it Mirage," I say. Suddenly, the ground next to the road is shot into the air. We swerve to the left. Another one. We swerve to the right. One in front of us. We slow a little, but don't stop. This is not a fun roller coaster. I try to see who's shooting at us, while we're rocking back and forth. Dust's collecting up around us like a cage.

"Starscream," I mutter. "Mirage, take a detour." We swerve off the road and into an abandoned construction site. Starscream transforms right in front of us and we drive right through his legs. He's shooting at us and the dirt is rising higher now. Our view keeps getting blocked and Mirage has to turn on the windshield wipers to keep from hitting something. "Stop the car."

We swerve to a stop in the middle of a large hole. We pile out and see no sign of Starscream...for now.

"I'll cause a distraction. You two go and get this to Optimus, bring him back to life," I say, handing Justin the bag.

"No," Simmons says. He gives me a dead serious look. "Like Jetfire said, it's your mission. Twinkle Toes and I will cause a distraction. You get that thing to the big robot. I know you'll bring him back to life, kid." I hesitate before starting to climb back into Mirage.

"Annie!" I skid to a stop, causing a puff of dust to come up. I turn to him. He jogs up and throws his arms around me. "Don't die out there Ann." I hug him back and close my eyes, sending a silent prayer for him.

"Don't you die either. I'm not ready to lose my best friend," I say. I climb into Mirage and he drives off. I roll down the window. "Bee, you're coming with us. Mudflap and Skids stay with Justin and Simmons. Good luck to you all." I see Starscream's jet start to turn around. I roll back up the window and we drive off. Along the way I'm trying to calm myself down. I clutch the knapsack close to my chest.

I hear more fires and I look through the windshield. More flares. They come from a little town, not far. Mirage says, "We have a few miles to go. Don't worry, bello." I feel a hand on my shoulder and I see his holoform. Mirage gives me a curt nod, then disappears.

We come into the little town. Mirage and Bee transform to their primal forms. They're alert as we duck and weave into through the town's grounds. I throw the knapsack over my shoulder. No Decepticons.

"Move out," I say in a low voice. Who knows what's lurking in the shadows. I hear a crash. I look up and see something crash into one of the pyramids. "Bee, what do you see?" Bee's optics zoom in. Another figure crashes into the pyramid.

"Megatron and Starscream," he reports.

"Shit," I curse. "Keep moving." I concentrate on getting to Optimus. Bringing him back. Him being with me again.

"Decepticons!" I hear Megatron call from the distant. "Begin our assault."

"I knew it was too good to be true." I glance behind me and see Wheelie sicking out of the knapsack.

"Wheelie!" I groan. "I should give you a collar." I can always fry the thing's good eye later. Right now, I have to keep running. Optimus' voice is all I can hear.

_You have to keep going. Don't let Megatron get ahold of you._

For Optimus, I will keep running.

As I'm ducking through pillars I hear things fall from the sky and land in locations not far from me. I count how many fall. 13. This isn't good.

"Mirage, Bee, you two go ahead," I whisper.

"What, no! I'm not leaving you, Annie," Mirage says. I put a comforting hand on his foot.

"With you guys lurking around here, the Decepticons are gonna catch on fast and come straight here. Go and get there, with the other soldiers, I'll be okay," I persuade. Mirage hesitates before running away with Bee. I sigh. It's all me now.

It's easier going through the little city now. I still duck behind buildings and corners whenever I see Starscream or another Decepticon. I see an open door to a house. I look around before quickly crossing the barren street and rushing inside, not before closing the door quietly behind me.

It looks to be some sort of pottery shop. No one else is inside. I glue myself to a wall and get low. The military can't be far away. I swing my knapsack over and open it.

"Hey-" I cover his mouth with my hand and use the other one to put a finger to my lips, giving him the clue to shut up. He lowers his voice to a very quiet whisper. "What's going on?"

"A few of the Decepticons are around here looking for me. I gotta get out of here and to Optimus," I whisper hastily.

"How do we know that this'll even work? What if it doesn't?" Wheelie asks.

"It's gonna work. You just have to trust me," I answer. I hear a grumble from above. I shove Wheelie's head down into the bag. I see a shadow pass over the stained glass windows. I don't dare breath. The roof on this place isn't big either. There's a medium sized hole in the top. I see a shadow passing over it and I have to clamp both hands over my mouth to keep my breath steady. I try to keep my body from shaking.

I close my eyes and try to count to ten, but my numbers are all mixed in my head. I hear a few blasts and I let out a tiny whimper. Apparently that's enough for a Decepticon's hearing because the next thing I know the roof is being lift off and a Decepticon is standing above me.

"Hello little girl," the Decepticon slithers. I throw the knapsack over my shoulder and run out of the pottery shop. "There isn't any use running girl. You're trapped." He's right. There is one Decepticon to my left, right, and behind. If I run forward I probably won't make it far.

"Give us the Matrix now, and we'll spare the punishment Megatron asked us to give you," another one says. I glare them down.

"You'll have to kill me first."

"Then that is what we'll do," the third one says. He aims a blaster at me. Just as it fires I roll out of the way, in between his legs, and start running away. Lennox and the other soldiers aren't far from me now. I just need about a mile to go. I can do this.

"Get her!" one of them screams. I see Ironhide start to retreat.

"Retreat," he commands. The other soldiers try to file back to a few broken pillars. Shots are being fired and I can hear the other Decepticons behind me. I run out into the open and from here, I know if I don't go fast enough, they'll catch me.

Tumbling over a hill I sprint toward another pair of pillars and the mini town. I see a bulldozer in the center and a cougar Decepticon prowling around the area. What my eyes focus on, are the people in the sand, trying to crawl away from the bulldozer coming right at them.

My family.

* * *

><p><strong>Happy New Year's Eve Everyone!<strong>

**Just to let you know I've finished writing Popular Nerd so its definite all updates will be on Sunday and holidays :D this is my last time updating this year the next time you see this story will be 2012! :D I'm already almost done writing the sequel to The Popular Nerd which is awesome! I've worked so hard on this series and I'm so proud of it!**

**Thanks to everyone who's been with me and stuck with me this year. You rock! See you again in 2012!**

**R&R ^.^**


	9. The Fallen

My family cower right before the big bulldozer, waiting to run them over.

"H-Hey! It's Annie!" my younger sister Fiona says. She has black hair that is always held back with a headband and midnight blue eyes. Even as a nineteen year old, she has been in a lot of musical plays since she was eight. We're very close.

"Annie? Annie!" Fiona's older twin brother, Lucas, says. He has shaggy black hair and bright blue eyes. He's the athletic one. Lucas was on the basketball team in high school. We had rocky relationships before, but everything is okay now. They both go to a community college near home.

"My baby!" Mom screams. They start running toward me. Mom is a lawyer. In her years of being a lawyer, she has barely ever lost a case. She has long gorgeous black onyx hair and cobalt blue eyes. One of the best mom's in the whole world. She's very understanding.

"Don't worry sweetie we're coming!" Dad says. Dad has chocolate brown hair and optimistic black eyes. Recently he's been working at a five star restaurant. Dad is the best cook in the universe, to me. He can cook anything. I'm his little angel.

I start running to try to catch to them in the middle, but I hear a whirr. The whirr starts to increase. It's louder now. I skid to a stop. Suddenly, a drill/machine-gun-like Decepticon, jumps over the wall next to me. It blasts at my feet and I jump back.

After the dust cloud clears, I look at the Decepticon. It has a blaster points at my family. I can already hear it starting to warm up. I hold my hands up in surrender.

"Annie, run away!" Dad says. "Save yourself sweetie!"

"No, Daddy. It wants me," I say.

"What?" Dad asks in surprise. I never told my family about the Autobots. When I came back from Los Angeles two years ago, the government apologized and said it was a misunderstanding. I was told not to speak of anything alien again or else I'd be thrown into a government prison. The Decepticon points his other blaster at me.

"Look you can hurt me all you want, but just leave my family alone," I try to reason.

"Annie, what's going on?" Fiona asks. I ignore her. I hear a foot stomp on the ground and turn slightly. I see Bee's foot hidden between two alleys. I get the signal.

"You want me and the Matrix right? Isn't that what Megatron told you to do? I'll hand myself and the Matrix over right now, if you let them go," I say, stepping closer to it. The gun pointed at my frantic family lowers.

"Bumblebee!" I shout. I run behind a toppled over pillar. My family runs over and tries to speak to me, but I'm too busy concentrated on what's happening now.

Bee jumps over one of the walls that make the ally and starts firing at the Decepticon. The Decepticon fires back, but has more ammo. The Decepticon's ammo is actually whipping Bee in the arms, body, and head, making it almost impossible for Bee to get close to it. Bee's face armor comes down.

Bee gives it two light punches. It comes in for a whip, but Bee easily dodges it and kicks his leg. Bee then jumps on it from it's back and gives it a good thunk on the head. This forces the Decepticon to it's feet and more dust rises up. Bee holds back one of it's arm and it screams in agony. When he kicks the jointing parts that connect the arm to the body, the Decepticon cries out again. Bee now has the upper hand and starts to shoot the pained Decepticon from different angles.

I see something move in the shadows. The cougar. It's getting ready to pounce on Bee's back. I see sharp claws come from it's metallic paws.

"Behind you, Bee!" I scream. Bee turns just in time to catch the cougar by the neck. The cougar tries to slash at Bee, getting a good scratch in the helm.

"Little annoyance," he mutters. He grabs the tail and with a sweep of his hand, rips the spine right out from the cougar. With the spine he slaps the larger Decepticon with it. After swiftly jumping around it, Bee grabs both it's arms down and kneels the thing in the back. A successful cracking is heard and both arms ripped clean off.

The Decepticon falls down with a loud groan of metal. Bee turns to us, lifting his face shield. My family cowers in front of the alien robot. My dad, trying to be the strong man of the family, gets in front of me and puts his arms up defensively. I see his body shaking in fear.

"N-Now listen here! If you want my family you're going to have to get through me first!" he shouts. I put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"It's okay Daddy, he's a friend of mine," I say. After I do, an explosion goes off near us. "We have to keep moving. Follow me." Without waiting for an answer, I run off. I run through a doorway and find a dead end. A wall in and a lot of junk hard to climb over everywhere else. An explosion goes off behind us and I feel arms around my waist. Fiona.

"Annie, what's going on?" she asks, fearfully. She looks just like a little girl, going to her Mommy because she's scared of the dark.

"Look I don't have enough time to explain-" Lucas cuts me off.

"Why are you here in Egypt? Why are we in Egypt?" he asks. "What are those things? Fiona and I come home early from college and suddenly we're kidnapped by these things!"

"You have to trust me," I say, looking around for an escape. "Bee! Bumblebee!" A second later, Bee is laying one arm on the doorway I ran through and the other is a blaster, blasting a unseen target. Two more explosions go off.

"Bee, protect my family. Get them to safe grounds," I tell him. I turn to my frightened family. "Go with Bumblebee, he'll take you somewhere safe."

"No! We're not leaving you Annie!" Mom says.

"You have to Mom," I say.

"No, I'm not leaving my eldest daughter behind. We have to stick together Annie," Dad says.

"I can't stay with you. I have to go, and you have to go with Bumblebee," I say. "He'll protect you, I promise."

"I'm not going anywhere without you Annie!" Lucas please, holding onto my arm tightly. I shake it off and grip both of his shoulders.

"Lucas, listen, you have to keep running. Take Fiona, Mom, Dad, and run. Don't stop running. I'm counting on you to do this for me." I look deep into my brother's eyes. He nods. I start to run in the other direction. I'm halfway over a few trashcans when Fiona speaks up.

"You better come back alive Annie!" I smile and hurl myself the rest of the way over. I'm almost to the other soldiers and Lennox. The shots here are thicker, and I have to be careful where I step. I look back up at the pyramid. Megatron is staring right at me. He takes his gaze off me for a minute to blast a helicopter out of the sky.

I duck in the doorway of a pillar. I see Ironhide just a few yards away shooting down a Decepticon.

"Ironhide!" I call. He turns to me for a second, but then has to go back at paying attention to his target. Instead Elita-1 wheels up to me.

"Come with us. We'll take you to Optimus' body," she says. I nod, giving her my full trust. I run with Elita-1 covering me. She's shooting at Decepticons like crazy trying to defend me. I see Arcee and Chromia also trying to fend them off as well. I count abut four, really burly, Decepticons.

"Get that girl to the pillars Elita," Ironhide says.

"That's the plan," she answers. I keep up with Elita-1's pace, very well. She's doing a pretty good job. We almost get to the pillars Ironhide speaks of, when I look up at the pyramid again. Megatron is no longer at the top, but I see a really big thing climbing up to the top.

I try to make out what it is, when I hear Elita-1 tell me to keep going. Just as I turn, I see her get shot in the face.

"Go Annie, go. Bring him back," she says. Her voice processors must've been damaged greatly because it's all lopsided. I nod and run in the direction we were continuing on.

"I got your back," Arcee says. I nod and she leads me the rest of the way to about a group of ten pillars, randomly put in places. "Go on!" I hide behind a pillar as I see a Decepticon in front of it. It shoots Arcee down, but a large hold appears in his chest and he's thrown to his feet. I look and see Ratchet. I run to where he stands, shooting Decepticons from behind a broken wall. Other Autobots I see are Jolt, Sideswipe, Mirage, and Que. We are easily outnumbered.

"Annie!" I look and see Lennox, Epps, and Anthony waving me over. I run to them. The knapsack is flailing around in my hand and I can hear Wheelie yelling inside. I look back and see a wave of explosives coming my way. I run faster and faster, until an explosive forces me to the ground.

I roll in the dirt and sand. I feel a deep cut in my right knee as I stumble to a crawl. The crawl eventually turns into a walking fumble. I'm on the borderline of the fight and keep running as fast as I can to the other side.

"Annie! Annie! Over here!" I look up and see Lennox He's only a few feet away. I jog the rest of the way and he pulls me behind a corner wall of what used to be a home. "Annie, you better have a damn good reason why we're here." I fish the Matrix out of the knapsack.

"I'm gonna bring Optimus back to life with this. Only he can defeat the leader of all this chaos," I say. Anthony shushes me and moves me over to the corner. I hear gears whirring right behind me. The next thing I know, a military tank blows up on our side.

Then I see a jet starting to fall out of the sky. No, not just any jet. A Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. It transforms into Jetfire. He lands with a tumble and onto his feet.

"Now that's how you land," he says. He walks with his chest open right up to the Decepticon behind out wall shield. I peak out over the ledge to see the action. "Now face the wrath of, Jetfire!" He slashes the Decepticon across it's body with his cane. I duck behind the wall again as Jetfire takes the Decepticon and throws it's upper half over our wall-shield. He puts his cane on it's neck and then smashes his foot down on it's head.

The Decepticon's head bounces in front of us, and the lights in it's eyes dim out. Jetfire bellows a laugh.

"That's how we did it in my day," he boasts. During his boasting, I hear something. No, I also feel it. It's the ground. It's shaking. Suddenly I see a scorpion-like Decepticon lunge at Jetfire's mid-section. Jetfire cries out and smashes the scorpion against out wall. A cloud of dust rains over us. Jetfire falls down and lets the scorpion go. Just as it's about to lunge at Jetfire again he smashes it's head with his claw. "I'm too old for this crap."

I look up and see the Decepticon monster digging through the pyramid. I see something poking out the middle of it. That's when i realize the harvester is in the pyramid. Bricks and pieces of stone are raining down the side of the pyramid as it's digging deeper into it. All of a sudden, the middle part of the Decepticon explodes. It tumbles down the side of the pyramid, taking a lot of rock and debris with it.

"Okay, Annie, stay on my ass," Lennox says. "We have F-16's coming in."

"I hope they have good aim. I told them to aim for the orange smoke," Epps says. I look to my right and see a wisp of orange smoke.

"You mean that orange smoke?" Anthony asks. Lennox and Epps look in the direction I am.

"It wasn't my best toss," Epps says. The four of us share a glance.

"Run!" Lennox yells.

We get low and run like insane as the first F-16 lets down it's first missile. More come flying down and the orange smoke is getting bigger. I see Ironhide and Chromia appear out of the orange smoke. Ironhide is holding his midsection and Chromia is sprinting by, trying to help us along the way. The whole area goes up in orange and red flames.

"Annie, go get Optimus!" Lennox shouts. I run the opposite direction and I can see a large mis-shaped figure covered with a sheet. No doubt that's Optimus.

"I got you now!" I turn. The ground at my feet blows up and I'm flying through the air.

"Holy shit!" I scream. I fall roughly to the ground. I groan and feel the blood scorch from my midsection. My body feels like it's on fire. I feel my eyes get heavy and droop. The last thing I see is Lennox, Epps, and Anthony rushing up to get me.

When I wake again, I'm back in the desert of the Primes. I stand up and shake the sand out of my hair. My shirt has a lot of dirt spots on it, my jeans are ripped, and I can see plenty of bruises and cuts on my bare skin already.

The Primes are in front of me.

"You have proven yourself worthy once again," one says.

"We warned you, you would be going into treacherous grounds," another says. "However, you still went?"

"Like I told you before," I say. "I'll do anything for the Autobots."

"Which is why, we now give you the Matrix," Tarantellium says. This time, there is no spite or anything in his voice. "You have even proven yourself worthy to me to be given the Great Matrix of Leadership." I bow.

"Thank you."

"Now go, revive our last descendent. Save Earth," they say in unison. A light glows over me and then my eyes snap open. I'm back in Egypt. Dirt and dust is all over me. Lennox, Epps, and Anthony look at me shocked as I take in big gulps of air.

"Your heart stopped," Anthony whispered in astonishment. I smile and poke him in the nose.

"Never underestimate Annie Catalano," I say and start to get up. As I stand up, I see all the buttons unbuttoned on my plaid shirt, revealing my black tank top underneath. My shirt billows behind me like a movie scene as I stalk up to Optimus. The Matrix is clutched tightly in my hand. I climb onto his chest in the dead center.

"Optimus, come back to us!" I scream and let out a war cry before launching the thing in the center of his chest with both hands. At first it sounds like a computer booting up. Then Optimus' optics flash electric blue and his mouth opens, coughing out dust.

I clamber off of Optimus' chest as he slowly stands up. He looks around the area in confusion.

"I am...alive?" the soothing sound of his baritone voice gave me relief. Jetfire lets out a loud laugh.

"A living Prime! I never thought I'd see the day!" He's still clutching to his mid-section which is leaking out blue Energon.

"Little Ann brought you back, Big Man," Epps says. Optimus looks down at me. He gets on one knee and puts his hand down, palm face up. I climb on and he brings me eye level.

"Why did you bring me back?" he asks.

"I'll do anything to keep you alive," I say.

"Thank you Annie. I am in your dept." I place a hand on his cheek.

"Friends don't need depts. All you have to do is stay alive, and kick Megatron's aft for me." He laughs a hefty laugh. It gives me so much hope and joy in my heart. My left ear twitches slightly. I hear something.

Stomping.

Suddenly, a larger Decepticon comes barreling from the sky. The Fallen.

He shoots his spear at the ground, causing a small tumor to make everyone fall to their feet. I tumble off Optimus' hand and he falls onto his back. I fall onto the desert ground and get onto my elbows, trying to see through the dust. The Fallen grabs at Optimus' chest, and pulls out the Matrix. The Fallen holds the Matrix successfully in his hand. He steps down on Optimus' chest.

"Finally, my Matrix is back!" The Fallen cries. After he flies away, awakening another cloud of dust. Optimus slumps over on his side. I get up and rush to him.

"Optimus, get up! Get up!" I cheer on. I hold his face in my hands. "Optimus get up! You have to get up and stop him! Stop him from using the Matrix to activate the harvester!" We come so close. All for nothing? No. I'm not giving up. I won't. "Optimus, please." I lean my head on his nose and a tear slips out.

I hear Epps call orders to aim for the top of the pyramid. I hear a machine start to come to life. I just keep muttering words of encouragement to Optimus.

"I am too weak, Annie," he mutters. "By taking the Matrix away from my Spark, it has weakened my power and Energon levels greatly."

"I've failed my own mission decades ago. I've never done anything in my life worth living for. Now it's time for me to be like the Primes, and make the ultimate sacrifice," Jetfire says. "Optimus, take my parts. With my parts combined with yours, you will feel power like you've never felt before. Fulfill your destiny. Finish what I started." He reaches into his chest and takes out something circular, blue, and glowing. Jetfire limps over. A Spark. Ratchet and Jolt rush up.

"Jolt, electrify," Ratchet says. "Reboot those afterburners."

I watch in amazement as Jolt connects a chain from Optimus to Jetfire's limp body. Electric currents run through the chain from Jetfire, through Jolt, and to Optimus. The parts from Jetfire's body start to jitter. Then they start flying like a magnet and latch on to Optimus' body. It's like watching a painter finishing a masterpiece or putting together pieces of a puzzle. Optimus starts to rise up from the ground, bigger than ever.

Attach to his arms are more bigger blasters. On his back are very large flight gears. He seems like he grew about eight feet taller. His arms and legs are more masculine and bulked up. He looks _sexier_ than ever. He unlatches the cable running from Jolt and starts to power his new flight gear. I see Jolt double over and pant.

"That took a lot of power to do," he mutters. "I'll be fine though."

"Let's roll." Then he takes off, flying to the pyramids.

"After him!" Lennox says. All the soldiers, including me and the other Autobots, start following after the upgraded Autobot leader.

"Annie! Heads up!" Suddenly, Anthony throws a gun in my arms. Oh yes, this will be very helpful.

Rocks hover in the air around the harvester as jets come in. The Fallen is much stronger than I thought.

I see Optimus easily weave through the obstacles and tackle The Fallen down. He flies back and shoots at the harvester. They both tumble down the sides as the tip of the pyramid goes up in flames. I run ahead and start to take down Decepticons along the way. The only weakness i can find for them is the optics, which is what I aim for.

I'm far ahead of everyone else. I hide behind a pillar as I hear commotion going on behind it. I peak out and see Optimus, holding The Fallen by the back of his helm.

"Die with your brothers," Optimus says.

"They were your brothers too," The Fallen says. "How do you live, knowing you betray your own race?"

"I didn't betray anyone. You betrayed us," Optimus says, giving The Fallen a good pop in the mouth. From behind, Megatron comes from the air and tackle Optimus away from The Fallen. While The Fallen is recovering, I try to see what's going on with Optimus and Megatron, when I accidentally kick a large rock.

The Fallen looks at me.

"Well, what do we have here?" he slithers. Before I can run, he grabs at me. "I'm sure Optimus Prime will love to see I have one of his human allies." The Fallen follows the path Megatron and Optimus took.

I see Megatron slash Optimus twice. Megatron tries to shoot, but Optimus uses a pillar as a lever to get behind Megatron. He holds the canon up, forcing the blaster to shoot right through Megatron's own helm. Half of Megatron's face is blown off. Optimus is about to finish it, when he sees me in The Fallen's grip. Megatron takes this opportunity to blast Optimus in the chest, making him fall into a few pillars.

"How charming, you found the girl with the stone," Megatron says.

"This is the girl?" The Fallen asks, then laughs. "This little weak squishy human is the known girl to destroy an entire Decepticon army? You make me laugh." He doesn't know I have the gun.

"Let her go," Optimus says. Megatron walks up and places his foot on Optimus' back, keeping him down.

"Has the little femme, wound her way into your heart Prime?" Megatron taunts. I feel the gun start to ease up. I wait for the right moment.

"You and a human?" The Fallen says. "What a disgrace of a Prime you are. Choosing this puny thing over your own kind."

"Hey bitch!" I yell. The Fallen turns to me. "Smile." I take the gun out and fire at his left optic. Optimus turns and grabs Megatron's leg, throwing him into a wall. He shoots Megatron through another wall.

"Starscream!" I hear his, lopsided call. The Fallen lets go of me and clutches his left optic in pain. I take the opportunity of also shooting the right optic.

"Why you little fiend!" he cries, trying to grab me again. Energon oozes out of both optics. He's stumbling around trying to find me. "I should've wiped out your race long ago." I run and duck behind pillars and walls. He's right above me when I see shots being fired at him. The Fallen shot at Optimus, but he uses the bullet to flip over and then slash the Fallen through the side of the helm. His flaming sword looks almost blue now.

The Fallen takes Optimus' arm and holds it as he aimlessly drills his hand through his back, ripping off part of his flight gear. Optimus turns and shoves The Fallen back. As The Fallen goes to finding his spear, Optimus turns, holding it as it was about to skewer him.

"You picked the wrong planet," Optimus says. He takes the spear, turns, and stabs The Fallen from behind. It goes through the back of his helm. Optimus presses The Fallen down on a pillar and grabs the other end of the spear. He starts to lift it, ripping The Fallen's face off. "Give me your face." He throws the spear and the face to the side.

The Fallen tumbles in between the pillars. He is even more hideous without a face. I see a fist come out of his chest and an explosion goes off through his chest. As The Fallen falls to the ground, Optimus says, "I rise, you fall." The Fallen's body lands right next to mine. Energon leaks from his mouth and onto my boots I look up at Optimus and salute off to him.

"Nice work big guy," I say with a goofy smile plastered on my face. He lowers his hand and I climb on it.

"As long as I am alive, you shall never be in danger," he says, stroking my hair delicately with a finger.

"As long as I'm alive." I hold onto the finger protectively. "I'll do what I have to do, to keep you with me." He nods. I climb onto his shoulder as he walks us back to the other soldiers.

As we're passing the Spinx, he starts to dismantle all the new upgrades he got. I like the old one better anyway.

The sun is beginning to set, casing a beautiful glow on his body. He looks even more Godly from up here. It's magnificent what he can see from this high up. It makes our world look smaller. I see the other soldiers and Autobots not far. I hug his face plate.

"It's not over yet, is it?" I whisper.

"Megatron and Starscream have escaped. They will regenerate their power; they will return, and with an army even greater than this," Optimus answers.

"Well when they do come back, we'll be ready," I reassure. I swear, I see a smile cross his face. We take our time going to them. When we do, I climb down and meet up with my family. Dad is the first to hug me. Optimus leaves to join his fellow Autobots.

"Major Lennox told us everything," he mutters, then grips my shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"National security," I answer with a crooked smile.

"Annie!" I turn and see Justin and Simmons walking side-by-side. I rush to him and throw my arms around him.

"God, I'm so glad you're safe," I mutter.

"Damn it Annie. You should've been there. It was so cool," he mutters. I chuckle and look at him for a moment. His jeans and T-shirt are in tatters, soot, dirt, and other debris covers him head to toe, and he has a deep gash on his right arm.

"That makes both of us, Cuz'," I say. I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn and see Lennox. He's the next person I hug.

"You did it Ann," he says.

"Did you ever doubt me?" I joke. He cracks a smile. Epps is next to him and I give him a hug next.

"Little Ann, you sure are a handful," he says. I smile.

"I've been told," I say. I look for Anthony, and spot him holding a weeping Justin. I smile. Everyone's okay. We're all safe. All of a sudden, my right leg goes numb and I cripple to the ground.

"Ann!" Lennox and Epps shout in distress. I clutch my right knee. I lift my hand and see blood seeping through my jean. Epps shouts, "You're injured."

"It's fine," I wince.

"We gotta get you to Ratchet," Epps says. He helps me up and limps me to the yellow medical bot. The red stain is larger now.

"Ratchet, Annie needs some medical treatment!" Lennox shouts. The Autobots turn to me. Epps helps me sit down. Lennox helps rips a hole in my jeans to reveal a deep gash. The blood flows easily out of it, staining more of my jeans. I can see it starting to get infected. I wince as it comes in contact to air. Ratchet leans down and starts to examine it.

"This might hurt," he warns. I clutch onto Lennox's hand as I feel a spark of electricity shoot up my leg. I grip onto Lennox's hand for dear life and don't dare to look at it. Instead I concentrate on the Sun.

I saved it. I saved the Earth. No one will know about it of course.

I gulp and a trickle of sweat comes down my cheek. I feel the electricity fade away and see medics starting to bandage it.

"You will be sore for a few days," Ratchet says. I stand and sigh. The pains semi-gone, but there's an after feeling of slight numbness. It's over, it's all over.

For now.

Like Optimus and I said, it isn't over yet.

I go back to my family, who jump on me about my knee. When I reassure them that it's okay, Lennox leads us to a military truck, where he says will take us to a safe base. We climb into the back. As we're about to drive off, I catch Lennox on the shoulder.

"What about you?" I ask.

"I'm gonna stick with the Autobots and clean up," he says. "Don't worry, I'll catch up with you later." I nod. I cuddle with my family in the vehicle. Before I fall asleep I look out into the Sun.

* * *

><p><strong>Happy New Year :DDDD Who got drunk last night x3 lol just kidding.<strong>

**For New Year's I will be taking any questions you might have on the story. What I won't answer though if what will happen next, because that's a surprise ;)**

**I truly don't think any of you can guess what's gonna happen in the sequel, but give me your thoughts. The next two chapters will be the last two chapters of Popular Nerd. Then the sequel :DDDDDD**

**R&R**

**Happy new Year :DDDDDDDD**


	10. Betrayal

I woke up again, in the Med Bay. Much better than the medical facility in Princeton. I try to sit up, but I feel something in my hand and on my leg. I look down and see Mirage's holoform. His hand is entangled in mine, and his sleeping head is on top of my knees. He snores soundlessly. I use my free hand to run my fingers through his curls. It feels nice.

His left eye twitches and his eyes open a little.

"Shh. Go back to sleep," I shush gently. I remove my hand from his hair. Instead, he sits back in his chair, cracking his back and neck. "You shouldn't sleep like that."

"I was waiting for you to wake up," he says, reaching up and creasing my cheek. I fell into his touch.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"A few hours."

"Where's my family?"

"In the other beds. Don't worry, they're safe."

"What about-"

"Geez, you really do ask questions," Mirage jokes. I crack a smile.

"Sorry," I apologize. "I really just want to know what's going on." He nods.

"I was so worried about you," he mutters under his breath. For a moment, he just gazes into my eyes. I can see his eyes examining deep within me. I look into his and see something I've never seen in another human being before. It wasn't like a lighting bolt of confidence, or a flame for passion. It was pure electricity that coursed through his eyes. And it's pure electricity that glows in worry for me. Our moment is cut short when Optimus' holoform strolls in. I'm happy to see he's well enough to manage a holoform. He clears his throat awkwardly.

"If I may interrupt," he says. "Mirage, we need you for a meeting." Mirage nods and moves away from me. Optimus looks between the two of us before turning and leaving with Mirage by his side. I sigh.

It's time I choose. I can't stop putting this off. It isn't fair to them...or my heart. For once, I let my heart talk. I close my eyes and channel into my heart. It was weird at first, and for a while I didn't hear anything. Eventually, trying to "channel" into my heart got boring. When people say listen to your heart, don't believe them because hearts don't talk.

Then I saw it. The electricity. The burning electricity in Mirage's eyes. My heart yearned to see those eyes again. He's my best friend; my guardian. He was there for me when Optimus died. When Optimus died, it felt like losing a piece of my heart. But if I had a life without Mirage; I think I'd die along with him. My decision is made.

I jumped up from my bed. Good thing I wasn't attached to any machines; that would've been messy. I have to go tell Mirage. About half an hour has gone by. The meeting should be done by now. I look around and tiptoe out of the Med Bay. Security here sucks. I notice I'm still in my original clothes. I walk around almost instinctively. I see no soldiers on my way. Where is everyone? I walk outside and go the round way to Hangar One. I peak inside and see everyone else. I slip myself inside and hide myself in the shadows. No one notices me. The Autobots are all gathered. Lennox, Epps, and Anthony are on the catwalk again, discussing matters with Optimus. Galloway is hanging around the computers. I notice the monitors off. Is everything shut down for every meeting?

"Have we cleaned up all of the Decepticon's in Egypt?" Arcee asks.

"Almost. It's a difficult job to handle," Anthony says. "We'll get it out and dump it in the Laurentian Abyss."

"But that's where we dumped Megatron and look what happened!" Ironhide pointed out.

"He's got a point. We'll have to dump it in the Mariana Trench. It's the deepest part of the ocean, no one will be able to travel that far down," Epps says. Galloway speaks up and walks to the railing, next to Lennox.

"Now that all the important matters are done, we still have one left. The girl," Galloway says. "How has my plan turned out Major Lennox?" Plan? What plan?

"Yes, Agent Galloway. We we're able to lure Megatron and the other Decepticons out, even though we couldn't get ahold of Megatron," Lennox sighs. Lure?

"See, I told you all!" Galloway boasts. "I told you letting that girl go back to school get's the Decepticons out in the open. With the Decepticons out in the open, we were able to discover Megatron and almost capture him! Now, all we have to do is do it again and we'll get Megatron in the palm of our hands within weeks." He turns to the crowd of people gathered.

"And the best part is, the girl doesn't suspect a thing." I step out of the shadows and into the afternoon glowing light.

"Oh really?" I ask loudly. I make a scowl and cross my arms over my chest. A lot of eyes and optics look over at me in shock/astonishment. Even Galloway, who is the first to recover.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag," he says casually. "Yes, girl, we used you to get Megatron and the other Decepticons to come out of hiding, to put it bluntly." I look at all the faces staring at me. Friends, comrades, co-workers. Everyone. They've all...betrayed me.

"You all were in on this? So this is why I was sent back to Princeton? For bait?" I ask in complete bewilderment. "I thought I could trust you. All of you. Lennox? Anthony? Epps?" I look at the three soldiers, who choose not to meet my eyes. I turn to the Autobots. "You all too?" I look again at all the people. "I guess I'm just another pawn in this game we call war. You all make me sick."

I walk out of Hangar One. I go back to the Med Bay, where I discovered my family starting to wake up.

"Sweetie," Dad groans. "How's my little princess?" That's when the tears start coming out. I cry into my father's chest as he gently strokes my back. He doesn't ask what's wrong, which is good. Eventually Dr. J comes in. He only talks to my father about letting us go. I only caught that we're allowed to leave today if we want.

Within a few hours, my family is ready to leave. All I want to do _is_ leave. We walk through Hangar One and I'm supposed to walk through a line of soldiers saluting me, Autobots too. I walk ahead of my family. As I keep going down the line, I keep my eyes straight. I don't look back, I don't say a thing. As I climb into the helicopter, I look at everyone for the first time.

Optimus looks at me through the window with a frown of shame. He should be. I look at Mirage, who keeps his eyes trained on the helicopter. They'll never know my decision, now. They both betrayed me. All feelings for them has vanished into pure disgust.

"Ann." I turn to Justin, who looks at me with worried eyes. "What's wrong?" I'm handed headphones to protect my ears from the intense sound of the helicopter blades.

"They betrayed me," I say gently, as we start to take off. Justin probably couldn't hear me, but he probably read my lips. All he gave me was a nod of understanding and didn't say anything else. As N.E.S.T Base slowly fades away from sight, I feel more and more sickness in the pit of my stomach.

They betrayed me. The words kept sticking in my head as we land in a military base in Maryland. From there, we are taken by a military vehicle home. From everything we've been through, soldiers and Autobots alike, I thought they cared for me. Instead I'm thrown into the ocean for a shark buffet. It's like being stabbed in the back by your best friend; only ten times worse. By now it's the morning of the next day. Tuesday. Fiona fell asleep a few times on the ride home.

"Annie are you alright? You've been awfully quiet," Mom asks. I just keep a blank face. "Annie?" I stay mute.

I am a mute now. Nothing else can shock me more than this. I'll live the rest of my life mute, until someone can tell me that this is all a mistake. I can see my house coming up. My beloved home. As I climb out of the van, I look up at it. My eyes dart straight to my balcony that leads to, what was, my room. The first time I ever encountered Optimus. As I walk in the house I grew up in, my family keeps asking me what's wrong. Justin's the only one who let's me be.

I go upstairs and lock myself in my old room. The only things left are my bed, vanity, desk, dresser, and closet. I go to my dresser and move it from the wall. Out falls a red plaid notebook. I grab it and push the dresser back. I couldn't take my diary to college. No doubt I would've lost it or someone could've stolen it, knowing my clumsiness. I open my balcony doors and walk outside. A warm spring air hits me. I take the blue pen out of the spine.

As I lean against the railing, I gaze at the sunrise. I turn back to the notebook in my hands. I open to the next clean page and start to write a new entry.

May 13, 2013

5:50 AM

I've been betrayed. Betrayed by my own family, betrayed by my friends, betrayed by the Autobots. I still cannot bear the knowledge of the fact I've been played. They used me for their own game, and I will never forgive them for that.

Megatron can take me away now, because I will willingly go along. It seems the only other one I can trust besides the people in my house and Justin, is the Decepticons. At least they are honest with their words. However, I still will never work with the Decepticons. Nor the Autobots.

By the time you find and read this, I'll be gone. I'll be out of this godforsaken world. I've learned that if I want to escape from this world, I have to run. The only way I can get out of here, is if I run away from the world I know...and start over.

I'm never going to come back. Don't try to find me, I mean you can, but you won't get far. I'm sorry for the people who will miss me, which probably won't be many.

I'd like to thank the Autobots for giving me an adventure like no other. It was a fun roller coaster, but I think I'm getting off the ride earlier that expected.

This was never my war to begin with.

-Annie C.

I close my diary and stare at the scenery. The first place I saw Optimus. The start of where I got sucked into all this mess. Which is where I'm going to end it, as well. I put my diary down on the ground. Someone will come and find it. They'll read the last entry and know I'm gone.

I have to keep running. I can't let my past get ahold of me.

I'll change my name, maybe even my looks if I have to. I'm leaving in a few weeks, the last day of semester, to be exact. I'll find my way around. I'm smart like that. I sigh and bury my face into my hands. I've never resorted into giving up. It's not a good feeling, to be honest. But I'm desperate to get this weight off my shoulders. It's almost pitiful actually. I've come all this way and have to give up in the end. Maybe the path of failure is just what I need for a change.

I go back downstairs to my family, who anxiously waits for my return.

"Annie?" Fiona asks. "Are you okay?" I just smile and pat her on the head. "Why aren't you saying anything?" Her voice rises with fear. I slowly shake my head. "Annie, say something!" She throws her arms around me an holds me close. I just slowly rub her back.

"I'll call a doctor," Mom said, rushing to the phone. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look behind me and see Justin. He gives me a nod, which I return. I pry myself out of Fiona's arms and walk with Justin to the backyard. We sit on the bench swing on the porch, where we used to always play on when we were little. He pushes off with his feet and we start to gently swing back and forth. We sit in silence for a few minutes before he clears his throat.

"Ann, you better not do anything stupid," he says. I give him a sad smile. I'll miss him the most. "I mean it." He probably saw it in my eyes. "What do you have up your sleeves?"

"I'm running away," I whisper hoarsely. "There's nothing you can do to stop me Justin." He just looks down at his sneakers. I stare at the sky, whose oranges and yellows are starting to turn blue.

"Can I know why?" he whispers.

"The moment I met Optimus, is the day I was sucked into all of this. Now all I want to do is get out of this stupid alien civil war now. The only way I can is to run away from my problems," I whisper. "No matter what you say, you aren't going to stop me from leaving." He goes back to being silent.

"Let me come with you." My head whips toward him in a flash. "You aren't going to make it out there on your own. I'm coming with you."

"No," I say sternly. "What about your family? Your friends? Won't they miss you?"

"Won't your's miss you?" he shoots back."I'll get sucked into this war too. With you gone, the military will be all over me. They know to get to you they'll try to get through me." He has a point. I gnaw on my lower lip.

"You can come, but you have to do exactly what I say. No arguing. If I tell you to run, run. If I tell you to hide, hide. If I tell you to create a diversion, create a diversion. You got it?" I inquired. He gives a curt nod. The backdoor opens and Mom comes out.

"Okay, the doctor said she might be having a traumatic disorder. Probably from going into war. Sweetie, are you okay?" She held me by the shoulders and looked at me with such fury only a mother can have.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm okay," I said, throwing my arms around her. She sobs happily into my shoulder. I glanced behind me and see Justin with a look of unwavering determination in his eyes. He's ready to come with me.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah so today was one of those days when I realized something I didn't want to realize in the first place. It kinda slapped me in the face (figuratively), and it hurt a lot. So yeah, cheer up day today: The last chapter of The Popular Nerd. Next will be the epilogue which I will post on Monday.<strong>

**Anyway: Yes she technically chose Mirage (sorry to you OP fans, I love Optimus as much as you, but I'm trying to mix it up a little). Give me your thoughts on this way to end a story. All my official thank-yous will be in the epilogue.**

**Also...**

**I'm so so so so happy that Popular Nerd got more reviews than Just a Nerd :) Awesome!**

**R&R :D**


	11. Water: Epilogue

"Step on it Justin, he's right behind us!" I shout frantically at my cousin. My heart is racing as I turn around one more time to see red evil eyes. I turn back around, not daring to look again. He's right behind us. Justin clenches his jaw as he drives faster down the road. We're going way passed the speed limit, but no one's around at one in the morning to stop us.

"Get over here you little fleshy!" This only makes my heart rate increase. Justin has his foot tight on the pedal and I can tell that the Decepticon's catching up.

"Go faster, damn it!" I shout at him.

"I'm trying," he grunts and pushes on faster. We're losing gas quicker than I imagined. The ground explodes around the road and we swerve this way and that. The Decepticon gets a good shot at our back-right tire and we fly through the air.

I don't know if it's me or Justin that screamed, because that's all I heard. The world is spinning through the windshield. We cut through a thin wall of trees and all I see is the water. My eyes widen in fear.

We break through the water and it breaks through the windshield. The only part surfaced is Justin's side of the car. He tries to kick the window down, but the water's rising fast. It's up to my waist by the time he successfully breaks it and moves the glass away.

"Come on Annie, let's get out of here," he grunts, unbuckling his seatbelt. I unbuckle mine and am about to follow his lead out of the sinking vehicle, when my foot catches on something. My purse strap. It's stuck to the bottom. "Annie, what's wrong?"

"My foot's caught," I say, trying to get it out. The water's up to my chest. "Go on without me." He bites his lip.

"No, I'm not leaving you," he says bravely.

"You promised that you would do whatever I say if you came with me. I'm telling you to leave me and save your stupid ass," I say like a leader. He hesitates before climbing out. The water's up to my neck and I kick my foot one more time, freeing it. I try to swim out, but I'm not a very good swimmer. The water's leaking in from the broken window.

I take a last intake of breath before going under and trying to swim through the water. Some water forces itself up my nose and into my lungs. This makes me choke and more water goes into me. I manage to shoot my hand onto the surface and feel another grab onto mine. My visions fuzzy as I'm being pulled out of the water and onto the mucky marsh.

I hear loud footsteps and I know who it is. I keep myself from choking out the water for a few minutes before I hear them retreat.

"Coast's clear," Justin reports and I immediately cough out the water to the side. Only a little comes out. My visions blurring even more as I look up at Justin's face. "Stay with me Ann, stay with me."

"Justin," I cough out. "No matter what happens. Don't let anyone get ahold of me or you. From this day forth, Annie Catalano does not exist." I black out as I hear Justin call my name a few more times.

From this day forth, Annie Catalano does not exist.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who has favorite The Popular Nerd:<strong>

**JasmineChyanne, xXSunsparkXx, Galaxywarriess1234, Sailor Shinzo, twilightgirl1596, Leseratte14, primesgirl4, Sarah-Leigh-Black, BlackHawk98, Blizzardstorm21, transformationsgirl, LadyMalfoySnape, BornToBeBrave, , Astraea Maehalna, OriginalElementa, kakashiluckyblackcat, SowwyMrWozawski, Sunflower21, NightWindAlchemist, sesshomarusmate54, Roofiegirl**

**Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to The Popular Nerd**

**JustMakeLeftTurns, Galaxywarriess1234, twilightgirl1596, JasmineChyanne, Ashes2Dust18, ilikeanimeandmanga, primesgirl4, Kimmie98, Sketchninja7, Sarah-Leigh-Black, , BlackHawk98, Roc2Roll, transformationgirl, LadyMalfoySnape, BornToBeBrave, xXSunsparkXx, Blueeyes713, , ShayShayCoolAy, NightWindAlchemist, xoxsee, Aerith The Evenstar, Yuki-Oni**

**Thank you to everyone who has subscribed/favorite me!**

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed and at least read this story :D**

**You are all amazing and have touched my heart deeply! So as a treat I decided to keep it Sunday :)**

**THERE IS A SEQUEL: ****Runaway Nerd**

For all anyone's known, Annie Catalano disappeared 2 years ago. However, who is this Selena Alosi who is the splitting image of our disappeared Annie. She has no memory of her pass. When she finds a pin that her cousin Justin has been hiding from her, she starts to embark on a journey of hidden secrets. And why does her blue necklace keep glowing?

**That's the summary :) Thanks again everyone and, of course: R&R!**

**~HAHE~**


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